During his freshman year at Duke, forward Cooper Flagg has teased and shown glimpses of his otherworldly potential that has him being the favorite to be taken first overall in the 2025 NBA Draft. The teasing ended on Saturday, however, as Flagg rewrote the ACC record books in a Blue Devils 86–78 victory over Notre Dame.
The prized freshman scored a career-high of 42 points to give No. 4 Duke its 10th straight victory, setting a conference record in the process. It’s the most points by an Atlantic Coast Conference freshman, ever, as he notched one more point than Boston College’s Olivier Hanlan, who had 41 back in 2013. The outing was the first 40-point game by any Blue Devil since J.J. Redick in 2006 and was the most by any Duke player since 1976.
In a postgame interview, Flagg was asked about his accomplishments and becoming the ACC’s all-time leading freshman scorer.
“It’s an incredible thing to hear,” said Flagg. “There’s been so many incredible players to come through here as freshmen and wanted us to go to the league. So, to know that I break that [record] is really special.”
Flagg came into the game averaging 17.5 points on 45.8 percent shooting from the field and 77.8 percent from the line, but his efficiency was on full display versus the Irish. He went 11 for 14 (78.6 percent) on field goal attempts and 16 of 17 (94.1 percent) from the charity stripe. He also knocked down 4 of 6 three-point attempts and did more than just score, as he added seven assists and six rebounds.
The 17 foul attempts is a story in itself as that was one more than Notre Dame’s entire team. Flagg drew 13 fouls on the Irish and had twice as many made free throws as he’s had in any other game. Duke entered the game averaging just 17.5 free throw attempts, which ranked 261st out of 364 Division I teams, so that clearly was an emphasis for Jon Scheyer’s squad.
“Something that really impacts winning is getting fouled, drawing fouls on the other team. That’s something every coach emphasizes, playing off two feet and getting fouled in the paint,” said Flagg. “It’s a huge part of the game if you’re able to get in the paint and get fouled. So, I was kind of able to get that going early and was kind of able to live in the paint tonight.”
Flagg’s aggressiveness in attacking the basket, getting into the paint and drawing fouls was a bit too aggressive for one official in the first half. Flagg was whistled for an offensive foul—which was his only personal foul of the game—for pushing off on a drive, and a demonstrative reaction from Scheyer led to just the second technical foul in the coach’s career.
Afterwards, the coach said he was just protecting his star player, but he also knows Duke’s hopes hinge on the 18-year-old. Flagg was, arguably, the most famous player in college basketball even before his first official game at Duke, as he was the No. 1 player coming out of high school per all of the major recruiting services and was named the 2024 National High School Player of the Year.
Even though the Blue Devils landed several other top prospects in the Class of 2024, it’s Flagg who enabled them to get the top-rated incoming class. He’s widely expected to be the first pick in this summer’s NBA Draft and has been compared to NBA stars such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Blake Griffin, Scottie Barnes, and Paolo Banchero. He hasn’t disappointed this year and has displayed exactly why he was the only freshman to make the AP Preseason All-American Team.
Before Saturday’s breakout, Flagg ranked sixth in the ACC in scoring, while also ranking fourth in rebounds, seventh in blocks, eighth in steals, and ninth in assists in the conference. But the stats only tell part of the story of Flagg as they don’t account for his intangibles. Former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski who watched Flagg play prior to him stepping foot on campus in Durham, N.C., praised the teen’s spirit and competitiveness, with those traits setting him apart from other gifted players.
With a transcendent player like Flagg leading the way, Duke now sits at 14–2 on the season and remains the only undefeated team in the ACC (6–0). Both of the team’s losses came to ranked teams, and the Blue Devils have just one more currently ranked opponent on their schedule—a non-conference matchup with No. 13 Illinois on Feb. 22.
Coming off an Elite Eight appearance last season, Duke is aiming for a longer NCAA Tournament run this season. If it gets any more Flagg performances that are anywhere close to resembling what he did on Saturday, then Duke will be a favorite in lots of March Madness brackets in a few weeks.
