Jeff Borzello
NEWARK, N.J. — Ever since Cooper Flagg scored 42 points against Notre Dame in January, setting an ACC record and cementing his Player of the Year candidacy, it has been difficult to be truly surprised by anything from the freshman phenom.
That changed Thursday night, as Flagg put forth a virtuoso performance, finishing with 30 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 blocks to lead Duke past Arizona 100-93 in the Sweet 16.
“That was one of the best tournament performances I’ve ever coached or been a part of,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said after the game.
The Blue Devils will face Alabama on Saturday in the Elite Eight.
Flagg was in legitimately rarefied air Thursday night. He became the first Duke player with 30 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in an NCAA tournament game since assists became an official statistic in 1984, according to ESPN Research, and just the second player with at least 30 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks in an NCAA tournament game since blocks became official in 1986. The other player to do it was UCLA’s Ed O’Bannon in 1994.
Flagg also became the first player with 30-5-5 and one or fewer turnovers since Chris Mullin in 1985.
“He just did what he was supposed to do, and he’ll move on and get ready for Alabama,” Scheyer said. “I think that’s the beauty of it with him. He doesn’t get caught up in all that.
“What I’ve wanted from him is not to defer. I’ve just wanted him to fully be him, and I thought he was that. He was in his element tonight. He was him. He had just a great personality. He was loose, talking, competitive, the whole thing. So yeah, he impresses me all the time.”
Early on, Flagg was quiet offensively, with just three points through 12 minutes. But he scored on back-to-back layups, hit a couple of tough shots and began to be more aggressive.
“I think just playing with really good energy, trusting our game plan, trusting my teammates,” Flagg said. “They put me in some really good spots tonight. Coach, as well, put me in some really good spots. I think just making the right play and just letting the game happen.”
Arizona had gone punch for punch with Duke for the first 19 and a half minutes, just one stop from going into halftime tied at 42. Then Kon Knueppel hit a 3; Caleb Love missed a shot with seven seconds left; Mason Gillis grabbed the rebound and got the ball to Flagg, who pulled up from several feet behind the 3-point line and buried the shot as time expired.
Suddenly, a tied score became a six-point Duke lead heading into the break — and a quick 14-5 Duke run coming out of halftime put the Blue Devils up 15, and the game was essentially out of reach.
Arizona wouldn’t get closer than five the rest of the game.
“We talk about inflection points, and the end of the half is a really big inflection point,” Knueppel said.
Added Scheyer: “That was critical in that moment.”
Duke hit 100 points for the fifth time this season and the fourth time since mid-February. The Blue Devils shot 60% from the field, 58% from 3 and 85% from the free throw line.
It’s the second time they beat Arizona this season; they scored a 69-55 win over the Wildcats in November.
“They’re a team that they come down, they have a plan, they know what they want to get, and they’re able to get to it consistently, which is hard to do,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. “We’re not a bad defensive team, but they make you feel like it for long stretches today.
“They’ve done a really good job creating certainty, and all their young guys have gotten better. Their vets like [Tyrese] Proctor, Sion James — he’s impressive — have gotten better. Even Pat Ngongba has gotten better over the course of the year. They’ve got a lot of good pieces, and they all fit together.”
Love played the final game of his college career, and it was perhaps the best he has played since arriving at North Carolina in 2020. He had 35 points, single-handedly keeping the Wildcats within striking distance for long stretches in the second half.
Love became the first player with 35 points and no turnovers against a 1-seed in the NCAA tournament since Michael Finley in 1994, according to ESPN Research. He also became the second player in NCAA tournament history to have a 30-point game with two teams.
“Caleb is a great person, and he’s been through a lot,” Lloyd said. “I hope everybody takes a step back, whether they’ve been a hater or whatever or [piling on], and give this guy a real chance because he’s special. … Been through it, and he’s come out the other side of it better.”
