Is Cooper Flagg the savior Duke needed? With every game, it certainly seems that way. The talented freshman has exceeded all expectations, stepping up when his team needed him the most. With the rest of the Blue Devils struggling—plagued by technical fouls and unable to find their rhythm—Cooper took charge. His efforts proved to be the difference-maker, leading Duke to a hard-fought road victory over Wake Forest.

In the recent episode of Field of 68: After Dark, analyst Jeff Goodman mentioned, “Cooper Flagg is again, that’s why we have Duke as a co-favorite to win the whole thing right now. It’s Cooper Flagg.”

Although unable to find his own rhythm in the beginning of the second half against the second-best defensive team in the ACC, Flagg found his shots late in the run. With Jon Scheyer’s strategies usually involving the ball ending up with the star freshman, there is no doubt that Flagg can play at any and every position for any role, and he is going to be great at it. However, the same cannot be said about the rest of the Blue Devils crew which just might be a huge oversight for Scheyer.

Goodman added, “All the other pieces are nice, Tyrese Proctor didn’t shoot it for a while tonight, hit a big three late to kind of get him going, Caleb Foster hasn’t been great this year, Kon Knueppel started slow, he started kind off picking it up shooting the ball, I love Maluach in terms of what he brings defensively but he was in foul trouble tonight, they had to go to the other kid, Ngongba. He fouled out.”

Despite these hurdles and lingering questions about Jon Scheyer’s tactical decisions—a trend dating back to their win over No. 2 Auburn in December—Flagg’s dominance proved to be the ultimate difference-maker.

“I mean but as long as you have Cooper Flagg. I feel like you could throw me up, and Fanta, give me one shooter, and Cooper Flagg and we’re gonna be fine. We’re gonna beat some teams. He’s that good. He’s awesome!,” the analyst added as he created a team of his own and supported his own words of how he would play Cooper to start for his team without a second thought.

No. 2 Duke narrowly avoided an upset on Saturday, rallying for a 62-56 comeback win over Wake Forest, thanks to a stellar performance from freshman Cooper Flagg. Trailing by six in the second half after a 17-1 Wake Forest run, Flagg stepped up to end Duke’s scoring drought with a clutch 3-pointer and led the charge, scoring 15 of his 24 points in the final stretch.

He finished the night with 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists, securing the Blue Devils’ 13th straight win.

The Blue Devils are rolling with a 9-0 record in ACC play, marking their best conference start in years. This is Duke’s strongest start in ACC competition since the 2007-08 season when they opened with 10 straight wins. Up next, they face tough matchups against NC State and rival North Carolina next week.

Duke seeks revenge against struggling NC State

Duke basketball is looking for revenge after suffering two postseason losses to NC State last season, including a season-ending defeat in the Elite Eight of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The second-ranked Blue Devils (17-2, 9-0 ACC) will have their chance to settle the score against the struggling Wolfpack (9-10, 2-7) on Monday at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Duke, which hasn’t lost to N.C. State in Durham since 2017, had to watch the Wolfpack celebrate their Final Four appearance in Dallas after a 12-point defeat last year. This season, however, the two teams are on different paths. Duke is aiming for its 10th straight win to start ACC play, while NC State is trying to avoid its fifth consecutive conference loss.

Starting with NC State, the team’s offense has been a major problem this season. In ACC play, they’re averaging just 66.5 points per game, with a 42% field goal percentage and 29.1% from 3-point range—both near the bottom of the conference. What’s frustrating is that Coach Keatts brought in four double-digit scorers during the transfer season to address this very issue, along with a high school scoring standout. But the struggles continue.

As for, Duke it is always a team with high expectations, and this season has been no different. The last team to win a national championship with a ‘one and done’ roster like this one was, of course, Duke in 2015. They’ve remained near the top of the rankings all season, especially among the SEC teams.

Last season, Coach Jon Scheyer’s squad finished with a solid 27-9 record and made it to the Elite Eight. However, NC State ended both their ACC and NCAA Tournament runs in a shocking series of events. The Blue Devils are back with two familiar faces, former starters Tyrese Proctor and Caleb Foster, leading the charge this year.

The Blue Devils are looking to build on their momentum and continue their dominant run. As the season progresses, all eyes will be on Cooper Flagg, and their ability to overcome past challenges and maintain their high level of play.