Long before he set foot on an NCAA court, Cooper Flagg was already one of the most talked-about players on social media. Now, his first — and lone — season in college basketball has lived up to the expectations.
The Duke star has already written his name in history books. His 42-performance helped the Blue Devils take down the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in a close, 86-78 game.
Not only was this a career-best for the projected first-overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft, but it also was the highest single-game scoring performance in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) history. However, he wasn’t even aware of what he had done.
Cooper Flagg didn’t know how many points he had scored
“I was just out there playing,” the star small forward told the media after the game. “When I’m in the game, I don’t really know what’s going on. I’m just playing locked in.”
NCAA, College League, USA Basketball 2024: Seattle vs Duke NOV 29 November 29, 2024: Duke Blue Devils guard Cooper Flagg (2) catches a lob during the NCAA Basketball game between the Seattle Redhawks and the Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina. Greg Atkins CSM
Flagg put together a tent and camped at the free-throw line all game long. He went 16-of-17 from the charity stripe, and he headlined the importance of drawing contact:
“It’s a huge part of the game if you’re able to get in the paint and get fouled,” Flagg said, “so I was kind of able to get that going early and was kind of able to live in the paint tonight.”
Flagg and the Blue Devils will strive for something even bigger this season. As much attention as he’s drawn, and rightfully so, he knows he’s in this for the big prize: the National Championship.
