In relation to faculty basketball, there’s no greater star at present than Duke sensation Cooper Flagg, who has taken the nation by storm as the following huge factor within the sport.
Flagg, a 6’9”, 205-pound ahead from Maine, has been touted for his elite two-way means, which has been on show throughout his freshman marketing campaign with the Blue Devils. Via 21 video games, he’s averaged 20 factors, 8.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.2 blocks, all whereas capturing 48.4 p.c from the sphere and 34.6 p.c from deep.
Coming into faculty, Flagg was touted as the following “generation-like” prospect, receiving essentially the most hype of any incoming freshman since Zion Williamson’s arrival at Duke again in 2019.
It’s honest to say that not solely has the freshman ahead lived as much as the expectations, however he’s really even exceeded them in a means, cruising to the entrance of the road within the Nationwide Participant of the Yr dialog.
Flagg has surged to turn out to be the favourite for the award, with the race seeming like a two-candidate battle for the time being between the freshman and Auburn senior ahead Johni Broome.
After a little bit of an up-and-down begin to his collegiate profession, which included losses versus Kentucky and Kansas the place late-game turnovers proved to be expensive for Flagg, the freshman ahead has been every little thing Duke anticipated since, particularly as convention play has picked up.
That was particularly seen on the highest degree over the weekend when Flagg confronted his greatest check but: a style of the largest rivalry in collegiate basketball historical past because the Blue Devils took on the UNC Tar Heels at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
If you happen to thought nerves and pre-game jitters would get to Flagg, suppose once more. As a result of the ahead exploded to start out the sport, accumulating 9 factors, 4 assists, a rebound, and a steal as Duke cruised to an early 18-6 lead.
Flagg ended the sport with one in every of his greatest stat traces but because the Blue Devils comfortably beat the Tar Heels, recording 21 factors, eight rebounds, seven assists, three steals and two blocks within the 87-70 victory.
After the sport, the freshman ahead talked about how he wasn’t happy along with his efficiency, as Duke had some late-game struggles that allowed North Carolina to chop into what was over a 30-point lead at one level.
“It may be [my best college game],” Flagg stated per ESPN, “however for me, I’m simply making an attempt to make the best performs. 4 of the primary six baskets I assisted. That’s big for me to search out my teammates and make performs for them. [The slow end] was a bit little bit of me being drained and making some dumb errors on the finish. Being smooth on the finish type of performed into that.”
“He virtually had a triple-double, and he wasn’t fairly himself [at the end of the game],” coach Jon Scheyer stated. “However in addition to that phase, he was simply in management the whole recreation. He makes everyone higher round him, and it’s a heck of a factor to have 21, 8, and seven and also you suppose he may’ve executed extra.”
Regardless of bringing in six freshmen amid a significant roster transition this offseason, the Blue Devils are 19-2 this season, with these early season losses to Kentucky and Kansas being the one blemishes on their document.
That has Duke because the No. 2 group within the nation for the time being, with Flagg on the helm, main the Blue Devils in each main class this season.
The Blue Devils have been in comparable positions earlier than, however have fallen brief with regards to reaching their final purpose: the Nationwide Championship, which has evaded them for the reason that 2014-15 season when Jahlil Okafor was the group’s star.
Since then, gamers equivalent to Brandon Ingram, Jayson Tatum, Zion Williamson, R.J. Barrett, Paolo Banchero and Jared McCain have come via this system, however failed to achieve the large recreation.
However, none have arguably been as hyped as Flagg, who has constantly grown because the season has gone alongside, and has the chance to cement his legacy as a university basketball icon after only one season if he can lead the Blue Devils to the championship throughout March Insanity.
Whereas the Nationwide Participant of the Yr award appears increasingly more prefer it’ll be within the arms of the freshman, there may be nonetheless a lot to perform for Cooper Flagg as he winds up his first and sure final 12 months of school basketball.
That begins with the top of the ACC slate, the place the Blue Devils will try to do the not possible of going undefeated in convention play, bolstering their resume as a No. 1 seed within the NCAA event.
In a 12 months stuffed with vital change throughout the rankings in faculty basketball, the Blue Devils have been a mainstay within the High 2. And that’s due to the likes of a robust core of gamers, who’ve managed to beat adversity and turn out to be some of the well-rounded groups within the nation. On the forefront of all of it is Flagg, who will look to complete out his Duke regular-season profession with a bang, with the Syracuse Orange up first on Tuesday night.