Cooper Flagg has been a standout for Duke this season, averaging 19.5 points per game and delivering clutch performances that have kept the Blue Devils in contention. But even the brightest stars have off moments, and Flagg’s latest slip-up came at the worst possible time—costing Duke a critical game in the final seconds.

 The mishap was captured in a viral tweet by College Basketball Content (@CBBContent), with the caption, “Cooper Flagg goes ice skating in crunch time 😬”. Overshadowed an otherwise strong second-half performance from the freshman.

With 21 seconds left and Duke trailing by two, Flagg, the standout freshman, slipped and was called for a travel, handing Clemson’s 77-71 victory. Despite scoring 14 of his 18 points in the second half, including a clutch three-pointer to give Duke a brief lead, Flagg’s late-game mishap overshadowed his efforts.

After a slow start, he ignited in the second half, hitting three of six three-point attempts, including a go-ahead shot with just over a minute remaining. The loss snapped Duke’s 16-game win streak, dropping them to 20-3, while Clemson improved to 19-5.   

Fans were disappointed not just by Flagg’s mishap but also by Duke’s failure to take advantage of its sharp three-point shooting (12-24 from beyond the arc). Clemson’s senior forward Viktor Lakhin was sensational with 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting, including Chase Hunter’s 14 points and seven rebounds.

Cooper Flagg hype hits another level as fans defend freshman phenom

A fan tweet praising “Cooper Flagg as a freshman who’s “better than 99% of the juniors in college basketball” highlights the immense impact he’s had in his debut season. Fans are clearly in awe of his maturity, skill, and ability to perform under pressure, especially for a player so young.

A second fan could not accept the reasoning, as evidenced by his response: “I don’t care if Cooper Flagg slipped at the end of a close game. He’s still the best prospect in the class, lol.” The fans were really in full-blown confidence of their man’s potential, not making a lot out of little missteps on the court.

Another fan chimed in with their own praise, tweeting, “Cooper Flagg made every second count! Impressive debut.” This response further fueled the admiration for Flagg, emphasizing how he maximized his time on the court and showed maturity beyond his years.

“How could that be his fault.” tweeting another fan jumped into the conversation. It was a clear defense of Flagg, pushing back against any suggestion that he should be blamed for the game’s outcome.

And one fan summed it all up, closing the debate with a very simple yet definite reaction: “How could that be his fault.” It was the last word in a tsunami of support for Flagg that made it impossible to think of any slip-up.

It would be on his part, but the circumstances were just beyond his control. In his fans’ opinion, Flagg’s debut is not just good; it’s undeniable proof he is on a different level altogether.