Cooper Flagg and 4 more Duke Blue Devils who won't be back after blown Final Four lead

Kon Knueppel hit a free throw with 1:14 left in the game to give Duke a six-point lead. Houston then scored nine unanswered to knock off the ACC champs and advance to the NCAA Tournament title game in the most improbable fashion.

The Cougars are one win away from immortality for the first time in Kelvin Sampson's tenure as head coach.

To quote my favorite tweet of last evening, "I imagine a Houston basketball practice is just three hours of suicides and guys punching each other in the face." So true, @SureThing_Buddy.

This was just incredible stuff. Much has been made of a late foul call on Cooper Flagg (it was a foul, man), but Houston deserved this win. No questions asked. Duke fell apart in a way we haven't really seen all season. A series of truly mind-boggling decisions gradually propped the door open for Houston, a veteran team whose composure and physicality under pressure has been its calling card from day one.

Things couldn't have gone much better personally. I picked Houston to win it all (money in the bank) and white smoke finally billowed from the Wells Fargo Center. That was the most Sixers collapse I've ever seen from a non-Sixers team. Cooper Flagg to Philly confirmed.

Here are the Blue Devils who won't be back next season.

5. Sion James

Duke's fifth-year senior laid an egg in the Final Four, logging five points, seven rebounds, and zero assists on 3-of-9 shooting in 27 minutes. Sion James was responsible for the Blue Devils' most back-breaking turnover in the final minute.

A Tulane transfer turned integral member of Duke's much younger starting five, James has impressed all season with timely 3s, strong-bodied drives, and versatile defense. He's on NBA radars, in addition to being out of eligibility. Whether he's a second-round pick or a high-priority undrafted free agent, we will see James in an NBA uniform next season.

James' brief tenure in Durham has forever been tainted. He was great this season, but it will be hard for Duke fans to forget that fateful inbounds pass. That shouldn't necessarily be the case, but it's the other side of the March Madness blade. You can color your perception in the history books, but not always for the better.

4. Tyrese Proctor

Tyrese Proctor, Duke's steadfast junior point guard, has been flirting with the NBA for three years now. He's still 20, and there will no doubt be a hefty NIL package waiting for him if he decides to return to Durham for one final run. That said, this feels like the time for Proctor to capitalize on momentum and finally make the professional leap.

Proctor answered his biggest question this season, hitting 40.5 percent of his 3s on a career-high 5.8 attempts per game. That continues a trend of steady improvement since his freshman campaign. Proctor has long operated with the poise and precision of an NBA point guard, but shooting inconsistency held him back — and thus kept him in college. Now, it's hard to mount a case against him.

Maybe Proctor can make more money at Duke than he can as a second-round pick. Okay, he definitely can. But it's not always about money. It's about picking the right moment to turn pro and launch your career. Proctor is only 20, so there's considerable room left for growth. There's too much risk in returning to Durham. He could regress, or his stock may simply stall in the shadow of Duke's next elite recruiting class. Expect Proctor on an NBA team in 2025-26.

3. Khaman Maluach

Khaman Maluach feels like a top-10 lock in the NBA Draft. The South Sudanese 7-footer has been a dominant force all season for the Blue Devils, emerging as a historically efficient finisher at the rim and blocking shots at a high clip.

His final Duke memory won't be so positive, however. Maluach logged six points and zero rebounds in 21 minutes on Saturday, finishing as a minus-20 in the box score. Houston crushed Duke on the glass with Maluach on the floor. Rarely do we see a 7-foot-2, 250-pound center struggle so mightily on the boards. It is perhaps Maluach's most glaring red flag as he levels up to the NBA. He needs to get more physicality and develop a better rebounding presence.

He's 18, so Maluach has time to grow into his frame in the pros. That will be little consolation to Duke fans, however. Joseph Tugler and Houston's frontcourt took full advantage of Maluach's fatal flaw. The Cougars don't win this game if Maluach was even close to functional on college hoops' grandest stage. This is one of the downsides to relying so heavily on untested freshmen; March Madness leaves no margin for error.

2. Kon Knueppel

Another future lottery pick destined to depart Durham after one (mostly) magical season. Kon Knueppel, former Mr. Basketball in Wisconsin and an underrated five-star recruit, was basically the ideal second banana to Cooper Flagg. He was among the most polished and productive freshmen in college hoops. He will be deeply missed around those parts.

If it's any consolation, Knueppel has four brothers, all of whom play basketball. There could be a whole line of Knueppels coming through Durham, for all we know. As of now, however, the 19-year-old's focus will shift to the NBA. Duke will make its best effort to line up a lucrative NIL package, but Knueppel has a hearty pro salary and pro endorsements coming down the pipeline in short order.

We probably aren't giving him enough credit in NBA Draft circles. Knueppel was just solid this season. All around. He's a knockdown shooter, a high-feel playmaker, and a heady, team-oriented defender. He does so many things that NBA teams value. He could sneak into the top-five discussion with a strong pre-draft cycle. High lottery teams like Philadelphia and New Orleans need players in Knueppel's mold.

1. Cooper Flagg

Cooper Flagg became the fourth-ever freshman to win the Wooden Award on Saturday. Then, a shot at history vanished before his eyes. It felt like Flagg was on a championship trajectory at Duke. He has been the best player in college basketball for months, despite arriving in Durham as a 17-year-old. Flagg is the consensus No. 1 overall pick and he will proceed accordingly.

There has been a lot of chatter around a potential return to Duke, as Flagg himself said he wants to come back. But those are empty words. He has too great an opportunity ahead of him in the NBA. Next year's draft class is loaded and when you're on Flagg's level, there is too much to lose from another season at Duke.

We all want to see Flagg running alongside the Boozer twins and Duke's acclaimed 2025 recruiting class, but it's just not going to happen. He has an eight-figure salary in the bag, not to mention all the endorsements inherent to being a No. 1 overall pick with immense promise. Flagg made the most of his time at Duke, but it was never going to last.