DURHAM, N.C. — Cooper Flagg reduce throughout the courtroom to catch an early kickout feed and knocked down a 3-pointer from the wing. Moments later, he was alone within the left nook and confidently had a catch-and-score for an additional 3.
No hesitation.
And no stopping till the 18-year-old achieved one thing that no freshman had ever achieved in Atlantic Coast Conference historical past.
The 6-foot-9 Flagg scored 42 factors to set a convention freshman single-game scoring document Saturday, serving to fourth-ranked Duke beat Notre Dame 86-78. It was a efficiency that put the preseason Associated Press All-American alongside some outstanding names within the historical past of the blue-blood program and its longtime league house.
“I used to be simply on the market enjoying,” Flagg stated as he sat at his locker afterward surrounded by reporters. “When I’m within the sport, I do not actually know what is going on on. I’m simply enjoying locked in.”
Flagg had lengthy been talked about as a possible No. 1 NBA draft decide earlier than leaving his house state of Maine and heading to Durham. His each transfer on the courtroom had been dissected all season, from late-game turnovers in losses to No. 6 Kentucky and No. 11 Kansas to his robust play in a March-worthy matchup that handed No. 2 Auburn its solely loss.
This week supplied the right instance. His coast-to-coast dunk in transition towards Pittsburgh on Tuesday was a jaw-dropper and highlight-reel signature on a powerful win. This time, he was electrical from begin to end, ending with the very best scoring output by a Duke participant at its famed Cameron Indoor Stadium house since 1976, and most by any Blue Devil since Danny Ferry’s program-record 58 factors at Miami in December 1988.
Before Saturday, Flagg’s season excessive was 26 factors.
“He’s being himself,” teammate Sion James stated. “And that is the magic of Cooper Flagg, being himself. He’s not forcing something. He’s simply being a participant, taking the appears as they arrive. He noticed one thing he favored, and 42 factors later, right here we’re.”
Flagg made 11 of 14 photographs in about 36 minutes, together with 4 of 6 3-pointers to proceed his latest improved long-range contact. He noticed work as the first ball handler and attacked the paint, making the most of mismatches to attract 13 fouls and get to the road 17 instances (he made 16, a Duke freshman document) whereas Notre Dame had simply 16 makes an attempt as a workforce.
“It’s an enormous a part of the sport when you’re capable of get within the paint and get fouled,” Flagg stated, “so I used to be form of capable of get that going early and was form of capable of stay within the paint tonight.”
Flagg additionally had six rebounds and 7 assists, together with a high-low move to 7-2 teammate Khaman Maluach for an alley-oop dunk on Duke’s opening possession.
“They’ve received the right combination of fellows with him,” Notre Dame coach Micah Shrewsberry stated. “If that they had him and so they did not have taking pictures or that they had folks that wanted the ball and had been ball-dominant, then it in all probability would not work. But they’ve achieved an excellent job evaluating and discovering the fitting individuals to place round him, so it makes him a very powerful matchup.”
Flagg known as it considered one of his extra aggressive offensive performances from the beginning, partly as a result of getting these early clear appears to discover a fast circulate. As he pressed on, the fouls and get in touch with saved coming — sufficient in order that Duke coach Jon Scheyer had his personal uncommon eruption, this considered one of demonstrative fury.
It got here after Flagg was known as for a first-half offensive foul for pushing off on a drive towards Notre Dame’s Matt Allocco. As Allocco hit the ground, Scheyer virtually ran from the sideline to the sting of the midcourt circle yelling “No means!” and shouting that Allocco had grabbed Flagg earlier than waving emphatically in disgust as affiliate head coach Chris Carrawell tried to information him again to the bench.
It marked solely the second technical foul of Scheyer’s three-year head teaching profession, although he was centered on making a bigger level.
“People are going to do issues to attempt to make it simpler to protect him,” Scheyer stated of Flagg. “And grabbing and holding goes to be one thing that is there. So it wasn’t only one play remoted for me. It’s simply understanding that he does get hit.
“Again … I’ve a ton of respect for these three officers, the officiating in our league. But I’m additionally going to advocate for our guys once I really feel like one thing is not being known as the fitting means or revered.”
By Saturday’s horn, Flagg had surpassed the earlier ACC freshman document of 41 factors from Boston College’s Olivier Hanlan towards Georgia Tech within the 2013 ACC event. Only two different freshmen in league historical past, each from North Carolina, have reached the 40-point mark: Tyler Hansbrough (40) in February 2006 and Harrison Barnes (40) within the 2011 ACC event.
Flagg hit the 40-point mark on two free throws with 25.7 seconds left as Duke clung to an 80-76 lead after squandering most of an 18-point cushion. He broke the ACC document with two extra free throws with 4.9 seconds left, after the “Cameron Crazies” had chanted his identify as he walked to the road.
So how does a teenage basketball prodigy have fun historical past? His plans did not sound practically so memorable.
“Probably simply going to hang around with my teammates, have a chill evening,” Flagg stated. “There’s lots of good basketball video games on tonight.”
