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The Duke basketball team is having an exceptional season so far as they are in position to win the ACC regular season title and make the NCAA Tournament as a one seed. A big reason why the Blue Devils are so good is the play of star freshman Cooper Flagg. Before Flagg even stepped foot on campus, he was the projected #1 overall pick in this year's NBA Draft, and that is still the case. Players like him don't come around very often, and he has been dominating the competition at Duke this year. Flagg once again put up an impressive performance on Wednesday night as the Blue Devils cruised past Cal for a 78-57 win.
When a freshman typically starts off their college career, it takes them a little bit of time to get acclimated before they fully find a groove. That hasn't really been the case for Cooper Flagg this year. He quickly adjusted to playing at this level and was one of the best players in college basketball from day one.
Flagg has looked great in most Duke basketball games, and Wednesday night's contest against Cal was no different. The Blue Devils came into this one as big favorites as Cal has struggled this year. The Golden Bears were 12-12 overall and 5-8 in ACC play entering the game, and Duke gave them another loss.
Duke hit a three about 15 seconds into this game to go up 3-0, and they never looked back. Cal was able to keep things somewhat close in the first, but after the Blue Devils scored that first basket, they led for the entirety of the game.
The Golden Bears were still in it at halftime as they were only down by 13 points, but coming back from a double digit deficit on the road against Duke is no easy task. The second half did not get off to a strong start for Cal, and it was clear that no magical comeback was going to happen.
Duke quickly extended their lead early in the second half as they led by 26 at one point. Cal never threatened to make this one close, and the Blue Devils ended up winning by 21 points.
Cooper Flagg looked strong once again
Cooper Flagg was the star of the show on Wednesday night as he finished the game with 27 points, leading all scorers. He was 8-14 from the field on the night and 2-4 from deep. He also added five rebounds and three assists.
There are a lot of things that make Flagg an incredibly special player, and it's easy to see why he is going to be the first overall pick in the draft. First of all, he is the type of player that can truly do it. At 6'9″, Flagg has great size that allows him to compete for points and rebounds down low against opposing bigs, but then he also has the athleticism to handle and shoot the ball well. He is so talented and requires so much attention from the opposition that it allows his teammates to flourish as well.
With the win, the Duke basketball team improved to 21-3 overall on the season and 13-1 in ACC play. Flagg and the Blue Devils will return to action on Saturday at home against Stanford.
Cooper Flagg mock draft
In ESPN's latest NBA Mock Draft, they have Cooper Flagg going first overall to the Washington Wizards. The NBA Draft lottery is on May 12th, and that is when we will learn who gets the first overall pick.
“While other prospects have seen their production decline in conference play, Flagg has emerged as the best player in college basketball, and he has a chance to cement his legacy at Duke with a Final Four run,” Jonathan Givony said in his scouting report for Flagg. “He's the country's most competitive and versatile defender, and he has a stranglehold on the No. 1 pick conversation with the myriad ways he affects winning despite turning 18 in December. How he handles the spotlight moving forward will tell us more about whether he projects as “merely” an All-Star, or if, as some scouts suggest, he can develop into one of the NBA's most impactful players.”
The Wizards certainly have a chance at getting that #1 pick as they are one of the worst teams in the NBA, and Flagg could instantly solve a good amount of their problems.
“The Wizards were active during last week's trade deadline, using their flexibility to take on salary and add to their growing stockpile of draft picks,” Jeremy Woo said. “Those decisions won't change their calculus picking near the top of the lottery. Flagg would be a tone-setting player around whom Washington could center its rebuild, and his growth in the shot-creation department has to be interesting to the Wizards, given the need for a playmaker to lead the team (on that note, Dylan Harper will surely be attractive to them as well). A long-term defensive front line of Flagg, Alex Sarr and Bilal Coulibaly could give opposing teams real problems.”
Cooper Flagg is going to be an exciting player to watch at the next level, but right now, he is only focused on this Duke basketball season as the Blue Devils have a chance to win a national title this season.
