In a high-stakes showdown between the top two seeds in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Clemson Tigers took down the Duke Blue Devils 77-71, handing Cooper Flagg one of the most embarrassing defeats of his young career. For the first time this season, the freshman phenom struggled to find his rhythm, and Clemson took full advantage of it and secured the dub!

The Blue Devils were on a 16-game winning run and looked nearly unstoppable in the ACC, with many analysts predicting that Clemson was the only team standing in their way of an undefeated conference run. And they were right! Clemson’s stars stepped up when it mattered most! Viktor Lakhin led the charge with a dominant 22-point performance, while Chase Hunter chipped in 14. Ian Schieffelin was a force on both ends, posting a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double to help the Tigers claw their way to a hard-fought 77-71 victory.

The National Player of the Year candidate, Flagg had one of his toughest nights on the court. For most of the game, he was a shadow of his usual self, managing just 4 points until the final six minutes. He finished with 14 points on a rough 6-of-17 shooting.

Despite a late scoring surge from Flagg that briefly gave Duke hope, some fans were far from satisfied. Frustrated by his struggles for most of the game, they took to social media to vent their disappointment criticizing their best player on a rare off night. Let’s take a look at what they had to say!

Fans fume over Cooper Flagg’s lackluster performance

With just 14 seconds left and Duke trailing 71-73, Flagg, who was on a hot streak had a golden opportunity to tie the game. As he looked to attack the basket, he lost his footing and slipped and Clemson never looked back! Some fans didn’t hold back, turning the moment into the night’s biggest meme, roasting their star for the costly misstep.

Some fans took to X to vent their frustrations about Flagg’s costly slip, with one even drawing a wild connection to Duke’s past, saying, “Cooper Flagg continuously slipping on final possessions must be karma for Grayson Allen tripping players while he was at Duke.”

While it’s true that Allen had a bad reputation for tripping opponents— even earning a suspension for it—Flagg has no ties to that era. This was just a case of a frustrated fan reaching deep into Duke’s history to make sense of a heartbreaking loss. The slipping memes didn’t stop here, however!

The jokes kept rolling in as fans flooded X with reactions to Flagg’s untimely slip. One fan joked, “Don’t worry, Cooper Flagg fell like a cartoon to save Saturday hoops!” while another pointed out, “Cooper Flagg falling too much within 2 mins of the game.”Another fan took a hilarious spin on the situation, saying, “Cooper Flagg needs better tires.” Whether out of frustration or just for laughs, social media had a field day with Duke’s star slipping at the worst possible moment.

But surely there had to be a reason behind that slip, right? A player as good as The Maine Event wouldn’t just lose his footing at such a crucial moment, would he? Duke’s head coach Jon Scheyer had the answer. “He got the advantage downhill, and I’m taking that any day of the week,” Scheyer explained. “But there was a wet spot, and sometimes that’s how it goes. But he really made every play in the last couple minutes just to will us.”

While the internet had its fun, Flagg’s slip wasn’t about nerves or misjudgment, it was simply bad luck at the worst possible time. But unfortunately, the frustrations weren’t just about the slip, some were just unhappy with his overall performance!

One frustrated fan didn’t hold back on X, posting, “You’re a casual if you actually think Cooper Flagg will be a good NBA player, he’s literally just athletic, that’s it, he has no skill whatsoever.” While some critics argue that Flagg is dominating in a comparatively weaker conference, let’s be real, any freshman putting up nearly 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists per game is built for the next level!

The harsh comments and memes directed at Cooper Flagg only show the impatience and shortsightedness of some fans, not all who fail to see the bigger picture. But there were sensible fans who supported Flagg during this tough time as well! Go check this out!

Despite one off-night, Flagg’s exceptional stats and overall game speak for themselves. There’s no doubt that he has the potential to be a success story in the NBA, and in fact, a few teams are already tanking for the chance to secure him as their first pick in next year’s draft! Do you think Flagg will make an impact in the NBA, or will he fall short? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!