Duke basketball phenom [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] has only played eight collegiate basketball games, yet the Maine native is already no stranger to making statistical history. During Wednesday’s win over the Auburn Tigers, he might have notched his most impressive feat yet.
Flagg finished Wednesday’s game with 22 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists to lead the Blue Devils in all three categories. He also racked up three steals and two blocks on defense, tying Sion James for the team lead in both of those metrics. According to OptaSTATS on X (the social media platform formerly known as Twitter), he’s the first Division I freshman this century to pace his team in all five categories during a top-5 victory.
Flagg scored 16 of his points after the midway point, making five of his 10 shots and converting six of his nine free throws over the closing 20 minutes. However, 10 of his rebounds and three of his four assists came in the opening frame as Duke built a 43-36 lead.
The Blue Devils have faced four ranked opponents thus far, and Flagg scored at least 20 points in three of those games. He notched 26 points against the Kentucky Wildcats and 24 points against the then-ranked Arizona Wildcats.