Duke Blue Devils Guard Cooper Flagg showed out with a tremendous game at the Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina, on Saturday. Flagg, 18, can play both shooting guard and small forward. Flagg’s scoring clinic against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish consisted of 42 points, six rebounds, and seven assists in 36 minutes of play. Flagg’s 42 points were the most by any freshman in the ACC’s men’s basketball history.
In case you missed it, No. 4 Duke defeated Notre Dame 86-78 at home. Duke improved to 14-2, while Notre Dame fell to 7-9. Markus Burton led the Fighting Irish in scoring with 23 points, five rebounds, and two assists in 35 minutes of play. Burton, 20, is a point guard for Notre Dame since 2023. Burton played high school boys basketball at Penn High School in Mishawaka, Indiana.
Cooper Flagg’s Scoring Clinic
On Saturday, SportsCenter posted about Cooper Flagg and his scoring clinic on X, formerly Twitter. SportsCenter posted a picture of Flagg and his final stat line of 42 points, six rebounds, and seven assists with the caption, “Cooper Flagg put on a SCORING CLINIC against Notre Dame. The most points by any freshman in ACC men’s basketball history.”
Cooper Flagg has been averaging 17.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 45.8% from the field goal line and 30.8% from the three-point line this season. For the Duke vs. Notre Dame game, Flagg averaged 42.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 7.0 assists, and shot 78.6% from the field goal line and 66.7% from the three-point line.
Flagg’s Scoring Clinic In-Depth
Cooper Flagg’s scoring clinic was astonishing, to say the least. Flagg cut across the court to catch an early kickout feed and knocked down a three-pointer from the wing. Moments later, Flagg was alone in the left corner and confidently had a catch-and-shoot for another three-pointer. Flagg repeatedly showed no hesitation while putting on a show for the home crowd. He did not stop until he accomplished a feat that no other freshman has done before in ACC men’s basketball history.
After the Duke vs. Notre Dame game, Flagg sat at his locker and told reporters, “I was just out there playing … When I’m in the game, I don’t really know what’s going on. I’m just playing locked in.” Flagg’s postgame appearance wasn’t flashy, just realistic, despite Flagg often being mentioned as a potential No. 1 NBA Draft pick before leaving his hometown of Newport, Maine, and heading to Durham, North Carolina.
Flagg’s Impact At Duke
Cooper Flagg’s impact at Duke University extends past the court. This week, Flagg shined with Saturday’s 42 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assist game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Tuesday’s coast-to-coast dunk in transition against the Pittsburgh Panthers, which has been described as a “jaw-dropper” and a “highlight-reel signature” in a 76-47 blowout win at the Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The No. 4 Duke Blue Devils next game will be played against the Miami Hurricanes at the Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. Duke’s record is 14-2 and Miami’s record is 4-12, which is a lopsided matchup on paper. There’s a chance though that Miami could play spoiler to Duke after giving the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, with a 12-4 record, a tough time in a rather close 88-78 loss at the BankUnited Center on Saturday.
