Caleb Love and Arizona kept pace with the big bad Duke Blue Devils in the first half of Thursday's Sweet Sixteen showdown, tying the game at 42 with under a minute left before the break. The Wildcats should have gone into the locker room feeling good about the fight they showed against the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament's East region. But Cooper Flagg made it his mission to crush his opponent's soul.

Kon Knueppel made a 3-pointer to put Duke on top and then, right before time expired on the game clock, Flagg drilled a deep bucket of his own. Just like that, Duke went into halftime leading 48-42. The consensus All-American was fired up after the epic buzzer-beater, and so too were the countless fans who witnessed it.

“BAAAANG HE CANNOT BE STOPPED,” @HasThreeKids proclaimed. “He’s a GAH DAMN MONSTER,” @BackAtItAKen said. “Kid is unreal,” @Steveo1934 remarked. “There goes that man again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” @bigtuck33 exclaimed. “Man, this kid is annoyingly good…” @SupMarioBro commented.

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The boost that Cooper Flagg gave the Blue Devils carried over into the beginning of the second half, as the ACC powerhouse built a double-digit lead over the Wildcats. Arizona is trying to claw its way back, courtesy of a sensational Caleb Love performance, but the presumptive No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft is intent on pushing his team into the Elite Eight. He has 27 points on 9-of-18 shooting with seven assists and six rebounds at time of print.

Cooper Flagg is leaving his stamp on March Madness

Flagg's greatness has been unquestioned following a magnificent campaign that could earn him the prestigious Wooden Award, but he has wavered in a couple of high-profile games this season. The one-of-a-kind teenager does not look rattled by the spotlight in the Prudential Center, as Duke nears a date with Alabama for the right to go to the Final Four.

He is becoming more comfortable from 3-point range (36.3 percent in 2024-25) and is willing to unload his complete arsenal in order to vanquish Arizona. The NCAA is loving this show, and it looks like it will continue through the weekend.