Top 5 takeaways from Duke vs Houston as Cooper Flagg and Co. face heartbreaking defeat

Houston's 70-67 victory over Duke was as shocking an ending as college basketball is capable of producing. The Cougars led for less than 10% of Saturday's game but rallied late to claim an epic victory.

What does it all mean? Here are five big takeaways from a college basketball classic.

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Top five takeaways from Duke vs Houston

Kelvin Sampson and Houston had a comeback for the ages. (Photo Credit: IMAGN)

#5 Don't forget to give credit to the Cougars

The immediate narrative after the game is that Duke folded and choked. While Duke's injuries were somewhat self-inflicted, the crazy ending wouldn't have happened without a group of never-say-die veteran players from Houston.

There's enough credit to go to Houston without having to devolve into (just) criticizing the Blue Devils. Houston is an amazing team that took advantage of big breaks.

#4 Like Florida, Houston realized that how you finish matters much more than how you start

Both semifinal winners went through miserable first halves. In Florida's case, it was defense, as the Gators allowed 46 points to Auburn and trailed by eight points. In Houston's case, it was offense. The Cougars shot 31% and scored 28 points before halftime.

Hiccups happen, but the teams that won on Saturday were ones that saw the full game through. The Cougars took the fight to Duke late despite a first half where they looked fairly lost.

#3 Houston's blue-collar rebounding approach was pivotal

Houston outrebounded Duke 42-31, which was key to its win. The Cougars had 18 offensive rebounds and 19 second-chance points. Duke had 10 and 12 in those categories, and the gap between the two teams was key to Houston's ability to have a chance to win the game in the final minute.

#2 The lack of close-game experience killed Duke eventually

All year, the incredibly weak ACC did Duke an epic disservice. Teams like Florida and Houston battled through difficult conference seasons and saw close games, while Duke largely didn't.

Duke ended up 2-4 in game decided by six points or less. Houston, by comparison, went 8-4 in those games. It's not a coincidence that the two best conferences are meeting in the national title game.

#1 Maybe college basketball should be more about J'Wan Roberts than Cooper Flagg

Could it be that Houston represents a warning that as exciting as future NBA guys like Cooper Flagg are, veterans like Houston's J'Wan Roberts are a better story? A 62% foul shooter, Roberts went to the foul line for a 1-and-1 to take a lead in the final seconds and drained both shots.

In his 172nd college game, Roberts got the defensive assignment on Flagg on the game's biggest possession. He forced Flagg just far enough out, make Flagg arc the shot just high enough to throw everything off and deliver the biggest defensive stop in a season of defensive stops for Houston.

In the same way that realizing Duke's failure should leave room to celebrate Houston, noticing the brilliance of Flagg should also leave room for respect for guys like Roberts.

Flagg will likely be playing in the NBA next year, and Roberts might be coaching or teaching or selling insurance. But he can now tell the story of the night when he bested the youngster and maybe he could flash a championship ring too.