Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
Behind another spectacular performance from superstar freshman Cooper Flagg, the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils improved to 14-2 on the season with an 86-78 win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina, on Saturday.
Flagg, who entered the game leading Duke in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks, finished with 42 points on 11-of-14 shooting, plus seven assists and six rebounds Saturday, as the Blue Devils moved to 6-0 in ACC play.
It was a historic showing for Flagg, who set Duke’s single-game freshman scoring record, which was previously shared by Zion Williamson and Jared McCain:
#DukeMBBStats @DukeMBBStats
DUKE FRESHMAN RECORD | SINGLE-GAME SCORING<br><br>1. Cooper Flagg: 36 (today v. ND)*<br>2. Zion Williamson: 35 (2019 v. Syracuse)<br>2. Jared McCain: 35 (2024 at FSU)<br>4. JJ Redick: 34 (2003 v. UVA)<br>4. Marvin Bagley III: 34 (2017 v. Texas)<br><br>*7:03 left vs. ND
By virtue of his dominance, Flagg received a ton of hype on social media as a strong contender for the National Player of the Year Award from Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman and others:
Jeff Goodman @GoodmanHoops
Cooper Flagg already with 30 points and there’s still 11 minutes left. <br><br>Duke freshman also with 6 assists, 5 boards and has made 4-6 from 3. <br><br>Still has a legit chance to win NPOY award.
Ultimate Chief Benjamin @ben_stana
Flagg is NPOY and its not even close
Logan Goff @LoganGoff19
cooper flagg cannot be serious right now<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/npoy?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#npoy</a>
Ernest @ebnest123
Cooper Flagg NPOY
The ACC Rookie of the Year front-runner and NPOY candidate was red hot out of the gate Saturday, knocking down three trifectas in the first seven minutes for a Duke team that jumped out to a 14-0 lead:
ESPN @espn
Duke opened the game on a 14-0 run against Notre Dame 😳 <a href=”https://t.co/VDwLva7umJ”>pic.twitter.com/VDwLva7umJ</a>
Three-point shooting has arguably been the only weak point of Flagg’s game this season, as he entered the day shooting only 30.8 percent from deep, but his four three-balls made Saturday represented a new season and career high.
Flagg has also been much better from long range lately, knocking down eight of his 16 attempts in five games prior to Saturday’s contest.
With Flagg slowly but surely adding an improved three-point shot to his already impressive skill set, fans showered him with praise on social media Saturday:
Art Cummings @ArtTakesNote
Cooper Flagg is literally insane. Best college prospect of the past decade?
Obi-WanKenobi 3rd Cousin @I_AmLilMan
Copper Flagg is the goods man
Kyron Samuels @kyronsamuels
am i missing something w/ the cooper flagg hate? this kid is insanely well-rounded for an 18 y/o that reclassified. he’s pretty clearly a prototype *prospect*.
Max Stickney @MaxStickney
Cooper Flagg is so damn good.
KILLA @LeekMJB
Cooper Flagg is NBA ready.
duke 2025 champs @dukebluesamurai
Refined jumper Cooper Flagg is the best basketball player of all time
Neon Boudeaux @Carnage45__
Cooper Flagg has adjusted to the speed and physicality of college basketball and it’s been up since
Steve Balboni @AnnoyingBraniac
Cooper Flagg is the best college basketball player I’ve ever seen
Tre’ Giles @TreGiles
Cooper Flagg is BUILT DIFFERENT! Playmaking, shooting, DEFENSE! Come on man!
Chamaar Jase @ChamaarJase
Cooper Flagg after turning 18: <a href=”https://t.co/JyvBYeniz7″>pic.twitter.com/JyvBYeniz7</a>
Chris Vernon @ChrisVernonShow
If your NBA team stinks and dreaming of a high pick, flip on ESPN. This show COOPER FLAGG is putting on is serious.
Flagg had 15 points by halftime, but he was even better over the final 20 minutes, pouring in 27 more points.
He also put an exclamation point on his masterclass with an emphatic second-half dunk that whipped the Cameron Crazies into a frenzy:
ESPN @espn
Cooper Flagg was hyped after this slam 😤 <a href=”https://t.co/GqT0R9IsYs”>pic.twitter.com/GqT0R9IsYs</a>
Despite Flagg’s excellence, the Irish made things interesting down the stretch, outscoring the Blue Devils 17-7 over the final four minutes.
Still, Duke was able to hang on and cement the victory, dropping Notre Dame to 7-9 on the season in the process.
As a team, Duke shot 53.3 percent from the field and 85.7 percent from the free-throw line, compared to 49.1 percent and 62.5 percent, respectively, for Notre Dame. The Blue Devils also won the rebounding battle 32-22.
Notre Dame stayed in it by shooting 63.6 percent from downtown compared to 33.3 percent for Duke, but Flagg excelled in that department, making four of his six three-pointers.
Flagg and Duke will look to extend their winning streak to 11 when they host Miami on Tuesday.
