What business lessons could we learn from last night’s NCAA Final Four game, Houston vs Duke? (Houston won by 3 points)

Prior to the game, Duke was heavily favored to win by at least 5 points and 71% favored on betting odds, even though UH had the top-ranked defense.

For nearly the entire game, Duke commanded a strong lead, even getting into the double-digits lead territory. The analytics showed Duke with a high percentage of victory…. until the final 19 seconds of the game, when Houston finally took the lead.

As a business coach, here are some lessons I picked up from watching the game.

🟩Resilience Under Pressure
Houston trailed Duke by 14 points with just over eight minutes left but staged a remarkable comeback. This resilience highlights the importance of staying composed during setbacks.

In business, unexpected challenges such as market downturns, supply chain disruptions, or competitor actions require teams to remain focused and adapt. Build a team culture and create processes that help you pivot and execute in stressful and challenging situations.

🟩Leveraging Strengths
Houston’s defense, ranked as the best in the nation, wore Duke down in the final minutes. Houston then leaned hard into their defensive identity to disrupt Duke’s rhythm.

Similarly, businesses must identify and double down on their strengths. Whether it’s superior technology, marketing, customer service, or operational efficiency, business owners need to know their strengths and when to turn up the volume.

🟩Teamwork Over Individual Stardom
While watching the game, you couldn’t help but notice the announcers were constantly praising and focusing on Duke’s player Cooper Flagg. He had an amazing game with 27 points and seemed to be in every big play, on offense and defense.

With Houston, no single player dominated or was consistently mentioned, but their collective effort prevailed. They seemed to play more balanced.

Businesses thrive when teams collaborate rather than depending on a single “star” employee or department. Owners should encourage cross-functional teamwork and shared accountability, so that the odds of success still exist even if one star or department underperforms.

🥰 Finally, go Coogs! (Class of ’98)