It is all going right in the Cooper Flagg world. Or so far, at least. The Duke freshman is leading the NPOY race, has already helped his team to most ACC regular season wins by 20-points, Jon Scheyer stands to win his first regular season title, and the Blue Devils continue to maintain a strong hold on the no.1 seed. But, ironically, is this an ominous sign of sorts for Duke? Tracing a couple of past seasons’ patterns, an analyst seems to suggest so.

On the Mark Titus Show, the host confronted Duke fan Hank Lockwood with a question about where he thinks his team is in the championship race. Of course, with a 16-1 record in the conference, they stand near-undisputed in the ACC and rank 3rd nationally while boasting arguably the best player in the country. That suggests hopes. But factors to consider: 1. The conference has been comparatively weaker with just 2 more making the top 25 and none in the top 4 seed. 2. Per Hank’s observations, a dominant Duke hasn’t always fared well in the tournament.

“I feel like historically when Duke is the best team in the country they don’t perform in the tournament,” he says on the podcast. This coincides with the years they have had NPOY-calibers on the team. “The Zion year, undisputed number 1, super fun to watch all year, got to the tournament, almost lost to UCF, lost in the elite 8.”

It is hard to forget the year when another Duke freshman, Zion Williamson, took home the National Player of the Year honor. They were an absolute powerhouse during the 2018-2019 season, finishing 29-5 overall and 14-4 in the ACC. Blue Devils would also win the conference title that year. But when March Madness hit, things got shaky. They barely managed to win against UCF and Virginia Tech, before getting knocked out by Michigan State 67-68 in the Elite 8.

Now it is Copper Flagg in the spotlight, the no.1 draft prospect. Too many parallels. But add to that the Blue Devils’ not-convincing-enough 6-3 quad 1 record, and there is a possibility the team’s regular season heroics don’t translate. Plus, it is one-and-done come March Madness.

“The NCAA tournament is like the ultimate (test); you know, the front runners rarely win,” Hank makes realize. Everyone loves a Cinderella story, right? And the NCAA tournament always has its fair share of them. Duke with Zion and JJ Redick are prime examples that the best teams don’t always win. So, it wouldn’t be a surprise to anyone if Cooper Flagg fails to deliver the championship!

That said, there’s plenty more basketball left to play, and coach Jon Scheyer knows this group can do special things together, and he is up for the challenge!

Jon Scheyer knows Flagg and co. are capable of doing something special

Duke made headlines after their shocking loss to Clemson last month, their only loss in the ACC and perhaps the only team in the ACC capable of beating them. Questions were raised about Duke’s qualities against the top teams and rightfully so.

Jon Scheyer resonates but he isn’t letting it pass with take aways. In the postgame conference, he said, “It hurts because I think this group is on the verge of doing something special. Like I said, there wasn’t one ounce of us that didn’t think we were winning this game. I just told them afterwards, this game has got to mean something.” It was a real sting.

Clemson would out-shoot the Blue Devils 43.6 to 58.8% from the field, out-rebound 23 to 36, and convert 13 of their free throws.

Despite all this Scheyer was able to rally his troops, “Losing su-ks. I hate it. I hate it more than anything. Our team hates it. So I know we’re going to have a group that responds and can really get us to a place where we need to be because look, this is what March is. This is what ACC basketball is,” he asserted in the post game conference.

Unlike teams that lose momentum after a close-fought game, Duke went on a 5-game winning streak, cementing their authority as one of the best teams in the country. They still have three games left before the conclusion of the league phase, but the expectation is that they’ll come away with 3 wins. Certainly looks like this year’s squad has all the right ingredients to make a serious push for the championship. So, who knows? Maybe Flagg will be the one to break the jinx.