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Duke basketball powered past North Carolina on Saturday, but Blue Devils star Cooper Flagg wasn't satisfied. Flagg finished with 21 points and eight rebounds in the contest.
“It might be [my best college game],” Flagg said per ESPN, “but for me, I'm just trying to make the right plays. Four of the first six baskets I assisted. That's huge for me to find my teammates and make plays for them.”
Flagg found tons to be critical about, in regard to his performance.
“It was a little bit of me being tired and making some dumb mistakes at the end,” Flagg added. “Being soft at the end kind of played into that.”
Duke basketball defeated North Carolina, 87-70. The Blue Devils remain undefeated in the ACC, with a 11-0 conference mark.
Duke looks like a no. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament right now
Flagg nearly posted a triple-double against North Carolina on Saturday. His legs started to wear down near the end of the game, and North Carolina was able to close the gap in that stretch. Still, Flagg made the right plays for his team in the victory.
“He almost had a triple-double, and he wasn't quite himself [at the end],” Duke basketball coach Jon Scheyer said. “But besides that segment, he was just in control the entire game. He makes everybody better around him, and it's a heck of a thing to have 21, 8 and 7 and you think he could've done more.”
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Duke basketball is playing like a no. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament. The squad is 19-2 overall, and has won 15 games in a row. Duke may even be playing like the overall no. 1 seed. The Blue Devils are clearly in position to earn that honor.
Defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels is always a good sign for Duke basketball.
“You could definitely feel a different energy tonight,” Flagg said. “For us, it's just another game. We came out and executed our game plan, did what we were trying to do, and came out with the win. It's another game, and we're chasing a big mission this year.”
Flagg wasn't the only Duke freshman who went off against North Carolina. Kon Knueppel finished the game with 22 points, and five assists. It was the first time in 15 years that two Duke players scored at least 20 points in a game against North Carolina, per ESPN.
“They absolutely feed off each other,” Scheyer added. “It starts with their competitiveness. They play both sides of the ball. They have high-level feel. … Add in their skill and versatility. Kon's posting and shooting and pick-and-roll. And everybody knows, Cooper's already doing everything. They have a great thing. There's a lot of maturity with both of them.”
Duke next plays at Syracuse Wednesday.
