Final Four takeaways: Duke suffers historic collapse

theScore runs down the top storylines and developments from Saturday's Final Four games and what it all could mean moving forward to Monday's title contest.

Houston drags Duke into the mud

Houston's best shot at taking down Duke was mucking the game up and dragging the Blue Devils in the mud. The Cougars needed the contest to be played at a slower pace and with fewer possessions. There was no way they could keep up in a track meet against the most efficient offense in the KenPom era. Kelvin Sampson's squad executed its game plan perfectly, holding Duke to 58 possessions - 11 less than the previous round - and no fast-break points.

It's not the prettiest brand of basketball, but it allowed Houston to hang around and set the stage for a furious 15-3 scoring run in the final 3:03. The Cougars kicked off their comeback bid with three offensive rebounds that eventually culminated in an Emanuel Sharp layup. On the ensuing possession, Joseph Tugler forced a Blue Devils turnover by poking the ball off Tyrese Proctor's leg. Tugler, a second-year forward, later came through with a swat on Duke freshman Kon Knueppel to keep the score at 67-61 in favor of the Blue Devils with 1:14 to play.

Houston subsequently scored nine unanswered points, including a putback jam by Tugler off a Blue Devils turnover in the backcourt. The Cougars' identity under Sampson over the last 11 years has been its hard-nosed defense and offensive rebounding. It's only fitting that those two components are the primary reasons Houston's playing for its first national championship in program history.

Duke ... what happened?

Houston undoubtedly made great plays down the stretch. But make no mistake, this was a collapse of epic proportions by Duke.

The Blue Devils led by as many as 14 points with 8:17 to go. The most efficient offense in the KenPom era suddenly went ice-cold in the season's biggest game. Duke managed just two field goals in the final 13 minutes and none over the last three minutes. The Blue Devils' only shots made during that stretch came from freshman standout Cooper Flagg, who missed four of his final five attempts.

Duke had done a great job taking care of the ball all season, ranking 354th in the NCAA with 9.4 turnovers per contest. However, they coughed up the rock five times over the final 13 minutes. It's not as if Flagg was responsible for the miscues either, as those turnovers were made by upperclassmen Proctor, Sion James, Mason Gillis, and Maliq Brown. Those mistakes proved costly in a one-possession game as Houston tallied seven more points due to their errors.

Walter Clayton Jr. is that dude

Oh, you thought Walter Clayton Jr. had peaked? Turns out the Florida guard hadn't even given us his best until Saturday's contest against Auburn.

Let's call his incredible closing stretch versus UConn a delicious pre-dinner cocktail. That makes the 30-piece on Texas Tech a mouthwatering appetizer to set the stage for the main course - a five-star Michelin dinner at the expense of the Tigers.

By the time the horn rang in San Antonio, Clayton had 34 points - including 20 in the second half - to lead the Gators from an eight-point deficit to a six-point win and their first national title shot since 2007. Whenever Florida needed an answer against its SEC rival, Clayton was there.

Need two triples in the game's opening four minutes to quell an early Auburn onslaught? Clayton was there. Trailing by eight at the half and needing to start the second with an 11-0 charge to flip the scoreboard? Clayton contributed five points to the cause. How about 10 points in the final five minutes to squash any comeback attempt? Yep, Clayton was more than happy to deliver.

While Cooper Flagg claimed the Wooden Award as the nation's best player earlier Saturday, there's no question that Clayton has been 1-of-1 in this year's Big Dance. He became the first player since Larry Bird in 1979 to have at least 30 points in the Elite Eight and Final Four, and he's now Florida's all-time leading scorer in a single NCAA Tournament.

The beauty of Clayton's game is the various ways he scores. He's just as likely to can an outrageous step-back contested triple as he is to blow by the defense for an easy layup. The Steph Curry comparisons Clayton has garnered throughout the tournament seem less and less ridiculous each game.

Auburn ran out of gas

The first 20 minutes of Saturday's contest painted the picture that injuries to Johni Broome and Chad Baker-Mazara wouldn't hold Auburn down. The senior duo combined for 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting in the opening frame to boost the Tigers to an eight-point edge at the break.

Broome's status was a question mark all week, but he seemed to put any doubts to rest early by dominating the first half. He finished with 12 points, four rebounds, and two blocks in a performance that'll likely haunt Alex Condon, who struggled to contain the bruising big. The Gators continuously opted to leave Condon in one-on-one situations with Broome, a matchup the senior exploited virtually every time.

However, Florida sent numerous players at Broome in the second, with Rueben Chinyelu and Mitch Handlogten experiencing some success. Even Condon got in the act as Broome tired significantly - an understandable display given his injuries. Broome attempted only four shots in the second half, making just one to post 15 points on the night.

Baker-Mazara finished as the leading scorer with 18 points, but the Tigers didn't have a third option to pick up the slack in the second half. Florida's defense on electric freshman Tahaad Pettiford was particularly intense, with the Gators holding the point guard to seven points.

"We got down to seven guys. That's not enough. We just did not have enough help off the bench," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said postgame, according to ASAP Sports. "I think to take a little heat off of Johni, we scored great in the first half with our two-point baskets. We went through him, and he did great. I don't know whether we got away from it a little bit, but we only had a handful of two-point baskets in the second half."

The loss ends Auburn's season and perfect 25-0 record when leading by at least five points at half this campaign. One can't help but wonder how things might have played out if Broome had been fully healthy. But Florida's 2-0 record against Auburn this season proves the better team is heading to the title game.