After 149 wins over 6 seasons, J'Wan Roberts needs 1 more in last game for Houston's 1st NCAA title

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — J'Wan Roberts has been at Houston for six seasons and played in 149 wins for the Cougars.

Win one more time in his final game Monday night against Florida, and the Cougars will be first-time national champions.

“It feels great. I can say I've been to the tournament every year since I've been in college, and we've always gotten close, but we always lost," Roberts said Sunday, the day before the 6-foot-8 forward puts on a Cougars jersey for the 173rd time. “So for us to actually get to the national championship, and won like the way we did last night, is kind of crazy.”

The Cougars (35-4) overcame a 14-point deficit in the final eight minutes to stun Duke 70-67 in the national semifinal Saturday night. Roberts, a 63% free-throw shooter, calmly made two with 19 seconds left to put them ahead to stay and then defended a final shot by Cooper Flagg, the 6-9 freshman sensation and AP national player of the year.

Roberts went to the line after Flagg was called for a foul with both big men going after a rebound of a missed free throw by Duke. Several times before and after shooting his free throws, Roberts motioned for quiet from the ecstatic Cougars fans in the crowd of 68,522 in the Alamodome.

“I was trying to calm everybody else down, it was getting a little too loud, because I still had to make another free throw," he said. “So everybody’s going berserk like I had just won a game with 0.1 on the clock.”

Well, they were really in a frenzy when Duke came out of a timeout and Flagg missed a fadeaway shot contested perfectly by Roberts as he extended his long arms.

When the game finally ended, Roberts tugged up the top of his No. 13 jersey with both hands to prominently display the Cougars name on the front as he hollered and interacted with the nearby red-clad fans. He was already celebrating with them when L.J. Cryer was adding two more free throws for the final margin.

Houston, which has an 18-game winning streak while winning 30 of 31, is in its first national championship game since back-to-back appearances in 1983 and 1984 during the Phi Slama Jama era with Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler.

It is Roberts who is the winningest player in Houston history, though he did benefit from an extra year on the court. After redshirting in 2019-20, he got to play the next five seasons because of the extra year of eligibility the NCAA granted players who were in school during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“He’s been here as long as anybody. He knows the ins and outs of this program. Knows what it takes to win. ... He’s really just the ultimate Cougar, and he’s the epitome of Houston basketball,” junior guard Emanuel Sharp said.

Roberts is the only holdover from Houston's 2021 Final Four team that lost in the national semifinal to eventual champion Baylor. The Cougars made another regional final the following season and went to two more Sweet 16s before this year.

“Being here six years is crazy. I don’t know how he’s done it because it’s a lot of grueling days when you’re playing for Houston, especially for practices,” said Cryer, their second-year transfer and leading scorer who was a freshman on Baylor's 2021 title team. “For him to stick it out here shows how much he really loves this program and the love he has for the brothers. We’re going to go out here and try to get him a ring so he can end his career off on the right note.”

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Duke's Cooper Flagg (2) drives to the basket as Houston's J'Wan Roberts defends during the first half in the national semifinals at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Houston forward J'Wan Roberts dunks past Duke guard Kon Knueppel during the first half in the national semifinals at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Houston's J'Wan Roberts (13) and Mylik Wilson (8) celebrate against Duke during the second half in the national semifinals at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Houston's J'Wan Roberts (13) reacts during the first half in the national semifinals at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Houston forward J'Wan Roberts speaks during a news conference at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Pat Connaughton had a career-high 43 points and a season-high 11 rebounds as the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Detroit Pistons 140-133 in overtime on Sunday to close the regular season on an eight-game winning streak.

Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Detroit’s Cade Cunningham and several other regulars didn't play with both teams already locked into their playoff positions. The fifth-seeded Bucks face Indiana and the sixth-seeded Pistons take on New York in the opening round of the playoffs.

Milwaukee's lone usual starter to play was Kyle Kuzma, who scored 22 points in the first quarter before sitting out the rest of the game. Tyler Smith added 20 points and Pete Nance had 19 for the Bucks.

Malik Beasley scored 23 points to lead six Pistons in double figures. Lindy Waters III and Marcus Sasser each added 18 points. Sasser also had 10 assists.

Pistons: Beasley went 7 of 11 from beyond the arc to end the regular season with a career-high 319 3-pointers. Beasley entered the day just one 3-point basket behind NBA leader Anthony Edwards, whose Minnesota Timberwolves were playing later Sunday.

Bucks: All that mattered to Milwaukee was staying healthy for the playoffs. The Bucks accomplished that by resting most of their main guys.

With both teams deep into their benches, the Pistons erased an eight-point deficit in the last 15 seconds of regulation to force overtime. Waters tied the game by sinking a 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

The list of players with career scoring highs Sunday included Milwaukee's Jamaree Bouyea (15), Connaughton, Nance and Smith as well Detroit's Bobi Klintman (15) and Tolu Smith (14). Klintman had never scored a point in an NBA game before Sunday. Tolu Smith also had eight rebounds in his NBA debut.

The Pistons and Bucks will begin their respective first-round playoff series either Saturday or Sunday.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Detroit Pistons' Malik Beasley (5) drives to the basket against Milwaukee Bucks' Pete Nance during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

Detroit Pistons' Malik Beasley drives to the basket against Milwaukee Bucks' Pete Nance during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

Detroit Pistons' Malik Beasley (5) reacts to a call during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

Detroit Pistons' Daniss Jenkins reacts to a call during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard watch from the bench during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Detroit Pistons, Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

Detroit Pistons head coach J. B. Bickerstaff yells to the bench during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

Detroit Pistons' Daniss Jenkins (24) drives to the basket against Milwaukee Bucks' Jamaree Bouyea during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

Detroit Pistons' Cade Cunningham looks on during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo watches from the bench with his son in his lap during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Detroit Pistons, Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

Detroit Pistons' Bobi Klintman (34) passes around Milwaukee Bucks' Pete Nance and Chris Livingston during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

Milwaukee Bucks' Stanley Umude, right, fouls Detroit Pistons' Malik Beasley during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)