Kelvin Sampson drops to his knees after massive blunder vs Duke nearly ends Houston's March Madness run

Houston coach Kelvin Sampson had a visceral reaction to a blunder that nearly cost his team their March Madness hopes against Duke. The Cougars staged a late-game comeback to beat the Blue Devils 70–67, securing a spot in the championship game.

However, the final moments were fraught with tension, particularly when Houston's Joseph Tugler committed a technical foul. With just over a minute left and Duke leading 66-61, Tugler reached over the boundary line to disrupt Duke's inbound pass, resulting in the foul.

Sion James was at the boundary line when Tugler extended his arm over the line, making contact with the ball while still in James' hands, prompting the call.

The camera panned to a slow-moving Kelvin Sampson in the background, dropping to his knees in obvious disbelief and frustration..

Here's the video:

The technical foul gave Duke two free throws, providing a crucial opportunity to extend their lead. Kon Knueppel stepped up to the line but only made one of the two free throws, leaving the door open for Houston.

Despite having a six-point advantage with half a minute left, Duke was outscored 9-0 down the stretch as Houston completed the comeback. Tugler finished the night with four points, eight rebounds and four blocks.

Kelvin Sampson one win away from guiding Houston to its first NCAA national championship

Kelvin Sampson is on the cusp of achieving a historic milestone with the Houston Cougars, standing just one win away from securing the program's first-ever national championship.

After a dramatic victory over Copper Flagg and Duke on Saturday, Sampson and the Cougars are set to face Florida in the title game on Monday.

Houston had not reached the final since 1984 when Hakeem Olajuwon and company were beaten by Patrick Ewing and Georgetown. This year, Houston has a chance to win it all.

However, the Duke game was a nail-biter, with Houston barely taking a lead throughout the contest, while the Blue Devils dominated most of the game and had a 14-point lead at one point.

Both teams shot poorly from the field, with Houston making 37.7% of its attempts and Duke hitting 39.6%. However, the Cougars outrebounded the Blue Devils 42-31, which included 18 offensive rebounds.

The last 40 seconds were a thriller in sealing a great Final Four matchup that could have gone either way. Kelvin Sampson's men displayed resilience and composure to pull back adversity and get the win.