Mar. 31—Cooper Flagg's freshman year of high school at Nokomis ended in a championship. His freshman year of college is two wins away from ending in the same fashion.
Flagg and the Duke men's basketball team are in the Final Four following wins over Arizona and Alabama, the first of which featured a performance that dazzled a national audience and may have just been the most complete and impressive effort of his career, and which set the stage for his being named the regional tournament's MVP.
Now the Newport native can lift the No. 1 Blue Devils to their first title in 10 years. Houston is up next in the semifinals Saturday, and a win would pit Duke against either Florida or Auburn on Monday with the national championship at stake.
Last week
If there was still anyone needing convincing about Flagg, the likely Wooden Award winner and No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft, watching the freshman in action Thursday may have done the trick.
Flagg starred in a 100-93 victory over fourth seed Arizona, scoring 30 points while dishing out seven assists, grabbing six rebounds and blocking three shots. It happened in a hurry; he had seven points while Duke held a 30-29 lead, but erupted for 11 points in the final five minutes of the first half, including a buzzer-beating, on-the-run 3-pointer that put the Blue Devils ahead 48-42 and seemed to swing momentum to the Duke side for good.
Flagg became the first player since Marquette's Dwyane Wade in 2003 to have at least 25 points, five rebounds, five assists and three blocks in a tournament game.
"My teammates ... put me in some really good spots tonight," Flagg said. "Coach (Jon Scheyer), as well, put me in some really good spots. I think just making the right play and just letting the game happen (was the key)."
Scheyer didn't hide how impressed he was by his star freshman.
"That was one of the best tournament performances I've ever coached or been a part of," he said. "He just did what he was supposed to do, and he'll move on and get ready for Alabama. I think that's the beauty of it with him. He doesn't get caught up in all that."
Flagg was indeed ready for the Crimson Tide, scoring 16 points with nine rebounds in an 85-65 win on Saturday that took his and his team's stellar season into the Final Four. The numbers weren't as gaudy — Flagg shot 6-of-16 from the field, and was Duke's third-leading scorer — but the freshman was still named the MVP of the Newark regional.
"We just have such a talented team. Each night could be somebody else's night," he said. "Obviously (the MVP is) a big honor. It's a
blessing. I wouldn't have been able to do it without the guys sitting next to me and the guys in the locker room."
This week
Saturday
Opponent: Houston
Time: 8:49 p.m.
TV: CBS
Noteworthy: The top-seeded Cougars are in the Final Four for the seventh time and first since 2021 after punching their ticket with a 69-50 victory over Tennessee. Houston (34-4) has won its last 17 games, and won its past four games against top-25 teams after starting the season 1-3 against such competition.
L.J. Cryer (17 points) and Emanuel Sharp (16 points) led the scoring against Tennessee, while Milos Uzan (11.8) and J'Wan Roberts (10.7) also averaged double figures in points during the season.
Monday (with win over Houston)
Opponent: Auburn or Florida
Time: 8:50 p.m.
TV: CBS
Noteworthy: Both of these teams entered the tournament as favorites to cut down the nets. Auburn (32-5) spent most of the season as the No. 1 team in the country, but suffered a scare in the Elite Eight matchup against Michigan State when star Johni Broome went down with an ...
