Tag: Cooper Flagg

Duke basketball overcomes slow shooting start in home victory over Army

The Duke Blue Devils struggled from long range early on Friday, but a monster night from freshman Cooper Flagg helped them put Army away.

The Duke basketball fans in attendance at Cameron Indoor Stadium probably felt like the Blue Devils couldn’t make anything to start Friday’s game against Army, but seemingly in the blink of an eye, [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] and his team opened up a massive lead late in the first half once the shots started to fall.

Duke got off to a slower start against Maine in Monday’s season opener, only leading by 11 points at the midway mark, and it was much of the same for the first 10 minutes on Friday.

The Blue Devils made just one of their first 11 3-point attempts despite most of them coming with plenty of space. Junior guard Tyrese Proctor missed multiple shots from the corner on one possession, and sharpshooters like Kon Knueppel and Mason Gillis found iron instead of nylon on routine looks.

However, while the perimeter offense took some time to settle in, Flagg got going downhill before the end of the first half. Proctor found him for an alley-oop on a transition possession in the opening minutes, and he made two 3-pointers with another 3-point play in a five-minute span later on in the half.

Those nine points, part of Flagg’s 13 on the night, sparked a run that took all the drama out of the room. After the Black Knights remained within one point at the 14:00 mark of the first half, the Blue Devils scored 27 of the next 32 points to make it a 36-13 game with four minutes until the intermission.

Flagg finished with 11 rebounds as well, and if not for some second-half cramping (for the second straight game) that limited him to 25 minutes on the court, he could have stocked some monster numbers.

The Duke defense, like Flagg, showed up from the opening bell. The Black Knights could only score 20 points in the first half after making six of their 28 shots from the floor, including two of their 15 3-point attempts. A few breakdowns gave Army more open looks after the break, but the visitors still only finished with 58 points for the game.

True to form with a team as talented as the Blue Devils, the shooting improved as the game continued. Duke buried 16 of their final 27 3-point attempts with eight combined makes from Knueppel and Proctor. Freshman center Khaman Maluach notched his first career double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds, and Knueppel led the team in scoring for the second straight game with 15.

Duke shot 67.7% from the floor for the second half, and six different players scored at least 10 points for the second straight game en route to the 100-58 final margin

The Blue Devils now get the weekend to prepare for the Kentucky Wildcats. That ranked matchup takes place in Atlanta on Tuesday night.

Cooper Flagg and Tyrese Proctor connect for alley-oop in Duke basketball game vs Army

Tyrese Proctor found star freshman Cooper Flagg on an alley-oop during Duke’s Friday night victory over the Army Black Knights.

Two Duke basketball games, two highlight-worthy dunks from star freshman [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag].

After scoring 18 points in his first career game against Maine on Monday night, Flagg helped open up Friday’s game against the Army Black Knights with an alley-oop dunk from junior Tyrese Proctor.

Syracuse transfer Maliq Brown played a quiet role in the big play, as he often seems to. The new Blue Devil harassed Army forward AJ Allenspach in press defense up the court before forcing an errant pass. Sion James, another transfer from Tulane, grabbed the loose ball and flung it forward to Proctor, who quickly lofted it up in the air toward Flagg.

The first-year forward grabbed the ball with both hands and thumped it home through the rim, adding two points to the board in the opening minutes.

During the opening game on Monday, Flagg raced around the Black Bears’ defense and threw down a one-handed breakaway dunk to announce his presence in college basketball.

Cooper Flagg must join the NBA’s Eastern Conference to balance out the league

The NBA NEEDS Cooper Flagg in the Eastern Conference.

With all due respect to fans of woeful NBA teams like the Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers, it’s time we have a frank conversation. And I apologize for how it will exclude your totally valid (but, to me, ultimately tertiary) needs as diehard supporters of your respective favorite teams.

The NBA’s latest truly generational draft prospect, Duke’s Cooper Flagg, must play in the Eastern Conference when he likely jumps to the league in the summer of 2025. Full stop.

There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it, either.

If we want to have a truly healthy and balanced NBA, throwing another potential franchise superstar like Flagg into an already-stacked West is a dire scenario for the league. The sheer talent disparity between the two conferences — the West has had more All-NBA players every season for 26 straight years — is already way too glaring.

The East’s embarrassingly slow start to the 2024-2025 season only confirms as much. It’s still a small sample size (less than 10 games into the year at the time of this writing), but here are some eye-opening early numbers to keep in mind if you’re one of those people who’d like to see Flagg play somewhere West of the Rocky Mountains:

  • Only two East teams, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics, currently have a winning record. That’s right. Quite literally, everyone else outside of Cleveland and Boston in the East is straddling the line at .500 or lower. Yikes.
  • Eight of the NBA’s 10 best records so far belong to Western Conference teams. Eight. EIGHT.
  • The West, itself, is winning over 70 percent of its games head-to-head with the East so far. That’s roughly a 57-win pace over an 82-game season, by the way. A real ho-hum kind of dominance.
  • The East, itself, is also being heavily dragged down by the struggling Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks, who were supposed to be bellwethers as conference heavyweights. From injuries and age to good old-fashioned bad luck, these two teams are instead mired at the bottom of the standings. Tough scene.

I know it’s tempting to say we’ll appreciate someone with Flagg’s unique all-around abilities wherever he plays. Which, sure. That’s part of the deal we make as sports fans. Sometimes, it’s just about sitting back and appreciating the show talented athletes can put on.

You take what you can get. I understand.

Still, this massive disparity between the NBA’s East and West simply cannot continue. Flagg and the San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama are/were considered two of the best draft prospects in the league in years. For both of them to play on Western teams in a conference where, for example, a 50-win team was the fifth seed last season (a 50-win team was the No. 2 seed in the East) would be an unmitigated disaster for competitive balance.

Western teams already tear each other apart all year. Meanwhile, the 2-3 squads fighting at the top of the East get to be on cruise control as they please. A possible superstar like Flagg going West would just make it even worse. It’s not tenable or sustainable for players or fans of Western teams. (The conference really needs more “nights off,” if you know what I mean!)

The East needs an injection of potential all-time youth and talent. Badly.

So, this is my message to fans of fledgling squads like the Washington Wizards and Toronto Raptors. I’m really rooting for you.

Go capture that Flagg.

The NBA’s interconference competitive balance might depend on it.

Broadcast information revealed for Duke basketball game against Georgia Tech

Duke basketball announced the time and TV schedule for its December game against Georgia Tech.

The Duke Blue Devils announced on Wednesday that the men’s basketball team would play its December 21 game against Georgia Tech at noon Eastern time on ACC Network.

The Yellow Jackets will play their first game of the 2024-25 campaign on Wednesday night, but they finished last season with a 14-18 after losing 13 of their 20 conference games.

Duke opened the year with a 96-62 victory over Maine on Monday night thanks to 40 combined points from five-star freshmen [autotag]Kon Knueppel[/autotag] and [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag]. Flagg, who announced his college basketball debut with a one-handed dunk in the first half, led the team with seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals while Knueppel buried three 3-pointers.

The Blue Devils played Georgia Tech twice in 2023-24, splitting the season series after a 72-68 road loss in December. Duke won its home game over the Yellow Jackets by five points in January thanks to a 30-point, 13-rebound performance from [autotag]Kyle Filipowski[/autotag].

Duke basketball among the nation’s ‘good teams’ in 2024-25, Andy Katz says

College basketball analyst Andy Katz doesn’t think there’s “a great team” in 2024-25, but he thinks the Blue Devils are among the best.

The Duke Blue Devils defeated the Maine Black Bears by 34 points in their 2024-25 season opener, and college basketball analyst Andy Katz thinks there’s more to come for head coach Jon Scheyer and his team.

“I don’t think there is a great team this season,” Katz said on Monday night. “There’s a lot of good teams, and Duke is one of them.”

Five-star freshman [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] and [autotag]Kon Knueppel[/autotag] stole the show on opening day, combining for 40 points thanks to three Knueppel 3-pointers and an electrifying one-handed Flagg dunk. Katz wanted to zero in on the two returning starters, however: Tyrese Proctor and Caleb Foster.

“If they can play above their age, if you will, and are calming for the rest of this group, then they’ve got a real shot (at a national championship),” Katz concluded.

Proctor finished the first game of his junior season with 10 points after making three of his five 3-point attempts. Foster scored 11 points and tacked on three assists, tied for the third-most on the team in both categories.

Duke basketball holds firm as a No. 1 seed in ESPN Bracketology after one game

ESPN bracket expert Joe Lunardi shared his updated postseason projections on Tuesday, and the Blue Devils stayed atop their region.

The Duke Blue Devils have only played one game in the 2024-25 men’s basketball season, but ESPN bracket expert Joe Lunardi sees no reason to doubt them thus far.

Lunardi updated his projected postseason field on Tuesday morning, and the Blue Devils took the top spot in the East region.

Head coach Jon Scheyer and his team beat the Maine Black Bears 96-62 at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Monday thanks to 40 combined points from freshmen [autotag]Kon Knueppel[/autotag] and [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag]. Flagg, the top-ranked player in the Class of 2024, paced the team with seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals, while Knueppel made three 3-pointers.

The Kansas Jayhawks remained Lunardi’s top overall seed, but Duke will have the chance to unseat them on November 26 in Las Vegas. The Alabama Crimson Tide and Gonzaga Bulldogs joined them on the top line.

Duke’s projected path to the Final Four would be no picnic, however. Lunardi put Connecticut, the two-time defending national champions, as the second seed in the East with the Arizona Wildcats at the No. 3 spot.

Cooper Flagg confirms he was just cramping at the end of the Duke basketball opener

Duke basketball fans got a brief scare when Cooper Flagg needed a moment to stand late in Monday’s game, but he gave the all clear afterward.

Duke basketball fans in Durham and around the country held their breath in the final minutes of the season opener against Maine on Monday night when [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] fell to the court.

The top-ranked freshman and presumed No. 1 NBA draft pick tried to stand but quickly returned to the floor, and the Cameron Crazies surely imagined the worst. Flagg quickly gestured to his calf, however, and he confirmed afterward that he just felt a cramp.

In fact, according to a video from Carolina Blitz’s Vashti Hurt, Duke basketball head coach [autotag]Jon Scheyer[/autotag] even turned the moment into a learning experience.

“Coach even came to me right after I started cramping and was telling me he wanted to give me the experience of playing extended minutes like that,” Flagg said. “And it’s definitely something different, something I haven’t experienced before with this long of a game.”

“So kind of just getting that feeling and understanding that it’s a different level of preparation, a different mindset, and a different way I have to come ready to play,” he concluded.

Flagg said he felt like he hydrated well before the game, but he’d discuss with the trainers how to avoid similar problems in the future.

The 17-year-old finished with 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals in his regular-season debut.

How many points did Cooper Flagg score in his Duke basketball debut against Maine?

Here’s how Duke freshman phenom Cooper Flagg performed against the Maine Black Bears on Monday.

[autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] took the court at Cameron Indoor Stadium for the first time in the regular season on Monday night against a school from his home state.

The Maine native played the Maine Black Bears to open his freshman season, and while he looked impressive during Duke’s two exhibition games, there’s no substitution for when the games start to matter.

Regular season or not, Flagg put an exclamation point on the game in the first half. He rumbled into the paint like a locomotive, raising the ball high over his head before slamming home a monumental dunk in what should be the first of many in his Duke career.

With upcoming games against the Kentucky Wildcats, Arizona Wildcats, and Kansas Jayhawks before the end of the month, Flagg and the Blue Devils will be on the national stage quickly. So how did night one go for the anticipated superstar? Here’s a quick recap.

Cooper Flagg points scored vs. Maine:

Flagg finished with 18 points in his regular-season debut, making six of his 15 attempts and all six of his free throws. He added seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals, leading the Blue Devils in all three categories.

Did Duke win?

The Blue Devils won by 34 points, beating the Black Bears 96-62. Fellow five-star freshman [autotag]Kon Knueppel[/autotag] led the Blue Devils with 22 points, and Syracuse transfer Maliq Brown made his impact with seven rebounds, four assists, and a steal. Duke shot 55.6% from the floor and 37.9% from behind the arc.

Cooper Flagg’s next game:

The Duke Blue Devils will return to the court on Friday, November 8, with a home game against the Army Black Knights.

Kon Knueppel hype train leaves the station in Duke basketball’s opening win over Maine

Duke basketball fans awaited Cooper Flagg’s debut, but Kon Knueppel made sure everyone in Durham knew his name by the end of the night.

In the opening minutes of Duke’s game against Maine, five-star freshman Kon Knueppel saw the ball rolling lose on the court.

Syracuse transfer Maliq Brown swiped a pass from Black Bears guard Jaden Clayton seconds earlier, but he couldn’t corral the ball as he tried to work his way up the court, sending it tumbling toward Knueppel’s feet.

So Knueppel did what any player of his caliber would do. He picked it up, quickly set his feet underneath him, and fired up a quick 3-pointer.

The ball buried itself in the back of the net and earned him a trip to the free-throw line, adding four points to the board.

That sequence, part of a 22-point Duke basketball debut for Knueppel, contributed to a 96-62 Blue Devils win to start the 2024-25 season.

While the Cameron Crazies awaited the debut of top-ranked freshman [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] on Monday night, it was Knueppel who got the Cameron Indoor Stadium crowd riled up in the opening 10 minutes.

The 6-foot-6 forward from Wisconsin shot better than 50% from beyond the arc during his two exhibition games, and he quickly assured the fans that he could shoot in the regular season as well. He made a layup for the first points of the day, and the aforementioned four-point play was his second triple within a minute.

The star of offseason camp scored 13 of Duke’s first 23 points and finished the first half with 15. He shot 8/14 from the floor for the night, including a trio of 3-pointers on eight attempts.

Flagg still found a way to shine alongside his new teammate. The Maine native assisted on three of Duke’s first seven field goals, ending the night with five dimes, and he jumped up for a thunderous one-handed dunk late in the first half.

That passing prowess should alarm the rest of the country considering that Flagg’s generational reputation revolves around his athleticism and defense. He still ended the night with 18 points, seven rebounds, and three steals, but if the presumed No. 1 draft pick can also emerge as a three-level offensive ballhandler, the Blue Devils offense could morph into something scary.

The esteemed prospect gave Duke fans a brief scare in the final four minutes when he fell to the court near the baseline and remained on the ground, pointing to his calf, but he seemed to indicate he was just cramping and looked relatively content and unbothered on the bench.

Duke’s national championship pedigree entering the season rode upon the promise of an exceptional defense, anchored by Flagg and 7-foot-2 center Khaman Maluach. Despite the Blue Devils forcing two shot-clock violations early on, however, the Black Bears found a way to score in the opening half. Maine put up 33 points in the first 20 minutes after shooting 15/33 (45%) from the floor, trailing by just 11 at the break.

The Blue Devils pulled away in the second half, however. Duke opened the final 20 minutes on a 20-10 run, creating a 19-point lead that swiftly removed any drama from the room. Maine ended the night shooting 36.8%, making three of their 14 3-point attempts.

Former Tulane guard Sion James scored eight points after the break, part of 11 on the night for him, as the three major transfers played a large role. James, Brown, and former Purdue sharpshooter Mason Gillis all played at least 20 minutes

After a lengthy offseason, the Blue Devils only need to wait until Friday for another game. Duke hosts the Army Black Knights at the end of the week.

Cooper Flagg throws down a one-handed dunk in his Duke basketball debut

Cooper Flagg introduced himself properly to the Cameron Crazies on opening night with a thunderous one-handed dunk against Maine.

[autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] played his first regular-season basketball game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Monday night, and he didn’t even need a full half to produce his first Duke basketball highlight.

In the closing minutes of the first half against Maine, Flagg weaved his way around defender Quion Burns and launched himself into the air, shifting the ball into his right hand and raising it high above his head.

The top-ranked freshman dunked so hard that Chapel Hill probably heard the rim shake, evoking a well-earned eruption from the home crowd. Flagg briefly flexed on the baseline before racing back on defense, a sign that he expects many more moments like that to come during his freshman season. And given how easy he made the first dunk look, there’s no reason for fans to feel any different.

Flagg finished his first 20 minutes of Duke basketball with eight points, three rebounds, and a team-leading four assists as the Blue Devils built a 44-33 lead over the Black Bears.