For Duke freshmen, the UNC rivalry game has often been a battleground to shine at. On a revenge mission, Zion Williamson would explode for a 31-point performance in 2019. For Austin Rivers, it was the iconic buzzer beater that pushed his total to 29 and the Blue Devils’ to 85, for a win by one point. In 2025, that was to belong to Cooper Flagg, the no.1 NBA draft prospect. But did it? He did only trail Kon Knueppel in scoring with 21 points on his rivalry debut, but nothing to reminisce. If you awaited a second opportunity, fans would ask you to rather look away.

Being one of the most recognizable teenage hoopers means you’re always under more scrutiny. For Cooper Flagg that’s been true for a while. But this time, he’s getting dragged online for something he didn’t do. Let us explain.

The Tobacco Road rivalry, as expected, took off for a thrilling start at Chapel Hill, with Duke leading by a mere point by the first half. The problem? The Blue Devils were faring well without their star freshman’s contribution! The minutes he spent on the court spelled trouble. Quite literally.

With an average of 19.4 points, the Maine Event was naturally expected to lead the offense. Instead, we saw a freshman relying on his teammates, delivering below par– foul troubles and three points in the first fifteen minutes! Not the best look for the 18-year-old, leading the National Player of the Race.

Here’s a taste of the backlash he’s facing online.

The Blue Devils led by as many as 15 points, even without their star player who found himself in foul trouble. Though the Tar Heels did grow in confidence, going on a 10-0 to cut the deficit to 43-42 by half time, Duke said foot on the gas. They’d overcome a 7-point deficit in the second half to sweep UNC for the series. With an 82-69 win, the Jon Scheyer-led squad extends the streak to 8 and end the regular season on just the necessary momentum.

Though it proved to be one of Duke’s tougher tests in weeks, they were favored to claim the win. What we didn’t expect, however, is one of their biggest stars blanking when his team needed him. And clearly, Duke fans feel the same way. Flagg did finish with 15 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists. But it wasn’t the performance they were looking forward to.

Top Comment by Mike

Some people are really crazy. This kid is not there to win their bets, he is there to play well...more

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Fans online rip into Cooper Flagg for his terrible showing against UNC

It seems Cooper’s lacklustre performance tonight is already costing fans. “Third time I’ve put Cooper Flagg on my parlay and he plays like dog shit,” wrote an X user lamenting their ill-fated gamble. And we get it. Cooper hasn’t been at his best lately. While he’s been putting up decent numbers, he hasn’t played like the world-beater we’re used to seeing. He finally cracked the 20-point mark in his last game against Wake, breaking a six-game streak without reaching those numbers.

But some fans seem to have learned from their past mistakes. One such member of the community wrote, “Lmao man I almost took him. He screwed me the last two times I bet on him. I’m glad I didn’t.” And to their tweet, the fan who we discussed above wrote, “He wont never see another slip of mine again lol.” Seems fans are losing faith in Flagg’s ability to pay off for them. And with the start to his performance tonight, we can’t blame them.

He missed 3 of his 5 shooting attempts in the first quarter, turned the ball over twice, and landed in a foul trouble. For one of the only players leading his team in every major statistical category, that was a huge thumbs down. Cooper Flagg a aura farming crashout fr bru,” one wrote.

Not the most elegant choice of words, but the sentiment’s sound. After all, Cooper hanging onto the rim after dunking on no one while his parents do head taps in disbelief doesn’t exactly leave us in a position to defend him. However, Cooper isn’t the only one getting grilled.

Tar Heels fans are mad at their coach for tonight’s loss. “Embarrassing trash. Hubert Davis seriously needs to get the fuck out of dodge,” a netizen voice their displeasure on X. Hubert couldn’t capitalize on what was another off-night for Flagg. And this cost his team as Duke just snapped their 6-game winning streak.

Nonetheless, call it luck or his teammates stepping up, Cooper and the Blue Devils came away with an 82-69 win tonight. However, this won’t always be the case if the 18-year-old doesn’t step up in the coming games.