One of the biggest storylines in this year’s men’s college basketball season has revolved around Cooper Flagg and his potential to be the best in basketball. The projected No. 1 pick for the 2025 draft has found competition in Rutgers’ double threat, Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, although the former is seen as more of a threat than the latter right now. But has Flagg’s addition to the Blue Devils overall positively affected Duke?

Flagg and Co. are coming off an impressive 68-47 win against George Mason, in which their freshman standout was on fire in the second half. But in his newsletter Out 2 Win, this time on Marketable Men’s Basketball Team, Jack Alder writes that no matter what Duke does, they’re still trailing North Carolina. As per the Out 2 Win update, Alder gives North Carolina a score of 86, while Duke receives a score of 85. Additionally, Alder particularly mentions the addition of coaching legend Bill Belichick to UNC’s NFL team, which lifts the school up as a whole.

“With a storied history and a strong fan base, the Tar Heels consistently rank high in national polls,” writes Alder. “Will the recent appointment of NFL legend Bill Belichick as head football coach further elevate the university’s profile across sports?” In a world where college coaches are moving away from it because of NIL, Belichick’s name might lend the school a certain value.

But interestingly, Alder mentions that Duke, next on his list, is still the most known for basketball. “Known for their consistent performance and strong recruiting classes, the Blue Devils maintain a significant presence in college basketball,” writes Alder, then going on to state their rank. Where Duke is ranked 5th on the AP poll, UNC is not even in the Top 25 this week.

Additionally, Duke boasts arguably one of the most famous names in college hoops, with a massive NIL value of $2.7 million per On3. And yet Cooper Flagg’s name does not lift up the college in overall popularity, as that honor still goes to North Carolina.

To make matters worse, there is another upstart to dethrone Flagg from his NIL throne, someone who’s not even in college yet.

AJ Dybantsa overtakes Cooper Flagg in the NIL race

In the top 5 valuation of athletes across sports, AJ Dybantsa is the 5th ranked player, the first on the list representing basketball, and he’s still a high school senior. At $2.8 million NIL value per On3, Dybantsa has deals with Red Bull and Nike and was reportedly promised a $5 million (that could go higher) NIL deal for signing with BYU.

Cooper Flagg comes in 8th on the list at $2.7 million, with current brand partnerships including Gatorade, New Balance, and Cort Furniture. Hence, Dybantsa leaves him in the dust.

Sure, there are warnings from analysts about putting too much trust and money into players who are still in high school and have no guarantee of performing as well in college. But even though Flagg has already proven that even with his immense talent he has room to grow, the crown, for now, goes to the Utah Prep senior.