Freshman phenom Cooper Flagg tried to keep things in perspective Saturday despite the tough end to his first year at Duke.
Flagg and the Blue Devils completely melted down late against the Houston Cougars in their NCAA Tournament Final Four matchup at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Duke held a seven-point lead with just over a minute left in the contest. But Houston outscored Duke 11-1 in the final 74 seconds to pull off a stunning 70-67 comeback victory.
Flagg, who many expect to declare for the NBA draft in the coming weeks, spoke candidly about what will likely be his lone year in Durham. Despite being in an understandably somber mood, the 18-year-old relayed the “incredible” experience he had at Duke.
“It was an incredible season,” Flagg told reporters during Duke’s postgame press conference. “Incredible people. Incredible relationships that I’m going to have for the rest of my life. Didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but still an incredible year.”
Flagg put on a stellar performance Saturday in what could potentially be his final college basketball game. The 6’9″ swingman scored a game-high 27 points to go along with 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks.
But Flagg will likely be haunted by the midrange jumper he missed with eight seconds left that would have given Duke a 69-68 lead in the closing moments.
Houston gets the stop! pic.twitter.com/CtKxr8dkWO
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) April 6, 2025
Despite coming up short on his go-ahead attempt, Flagg described it as a “shot I’m willing to live with.”
The Maine native had one of the best college freshman seasons in recent memory. Flagg averaged 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists across 36 games for a Duke team that was ever so close to making the national championship game.
