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WNBA star Angel Reese was as shocked as anyone after Cooper Flagg's Duke Blue Devils suffered an upset loss against the Houston Cougars. Duke was up by six points with less than a minute remaining, but Houston mounted an insane comeback to earn the 70-67 win.
Reese dropped a four-word reaction to the maddening contest on X, formerly known as Twitter. The Cougars appeared out of it and were heading for the exit before making several stops on defense and clutch shots on the other end.
A questionable call on Flagg also helped earn Houston a ticket to the NCAA championship game against Florida.
"This game is crazy," Reese tweeted.
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Cooper Flagg finished the game with 27 points, seven rebounds and four assists, possibly the final one of his collegiate career. Flagg is expected to enter the 2025 NBA Draft and be the No. 1 pick.
As for Houston, they are back in the championship game for the first time since 1984. The Cougars lost back-to-back NCAA title games in 1983 and 1984, which were headed by Hall of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler.
It has been a long time coming for Houston coach Kelvin Sampson, who has been in charge of the Cougars since 2014. Sampson will head to his first-ever championship game after falling short in the Final Four in 2001 with Oklahoma and in 2021 with Houston.
Angel Reese expressed his admiration for the 69-year-old coach by commenting and reposting a tweet about him.
"I love him man. Such a great coach!!" Reese tweeted.
Houston is set to take on Florida at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on April 7. The Cougars have not won an NCAA championship in their history, while the Gators have not lifted a national title since their back-to-back triumphs in 2006 and 2007.
Angel Reese knows a thing or two about March Madness
Basketball fans know that the NCAA tournament is called March Madness because anything can happen. The format helps create magical moments that will live forever in the sport's lore. Despite the criticism of how college ball is played, the tournament is one of its brighter spots.
One player who knows a thing or two about March Madness is Angel Reese. The LSU great led the Tigers to their first-ever NCAA championship in 2023 under the guidance of coach Kim Mulkey. They defeat Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes in the final.
The matchup also gave birth to the perceived rivalry between Clark and Reese that carried over to the WNBA. While Clark didn't win the national title, she dominated Reese in the voting for the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year, receiving all but one vote in the final tally.
