[autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] scored 26 points against the Kentucky Wildcats on Tuesday night, 12 more than any other member of the Duke Blue Devils, but the lasting memory from his performance came in the final 15 seconds.
Flagg turned the ball over twice on Duke’s last two possessions, letting the ball get swatted away from behind on one before losing control of his dribble and going out of bounds on the next. The ensuing Kentucky possessions created the five-point margin of defeat.
Despite the miscues, head coach [autotag]Jon Scheyer[/autotag] didn’t sound particularly interested in reexamining his end-of-game strategy afterward.
“I trust his instincts,” Scheyer said of his star freshman. “I probably could have put him in a better position, to be honest, but he’s got to touch it and trust that good things are going to happen.”
The third-year coach also fairly pointed out that Flagg’s prior success was the only reason the Blue Devils had a chance to begin with. The forward scored 12 of Duke’s last 14 points, routinely making go-ahead or game-tying plays in the previous minutes.
“I wish you could say that every time, it’s going to work out,” Scheyer continued. “That’s not reality.”
Flagg, for his part, sounded like he appreciated the vote of confidence from his coach, regardless of the result.
“I’m glad he had that trust in me to put the ball in my hands,” Flagg said. “And I’m looking for it in that moment. It didn’t work out, but I’m still going to look for it no matter what.”
Flagg and the Blue Devils return home for a Saturday game against Wofford.