The No. 1 seed Duke Blue Devils are gearing up for the Final Four on Saturday against No. 1 Houston in San Antonio.
It is the first Final Four trip since Jon Scheyer became the head coach, and the Blue Devils have had almost no hiccups along the way.
In the NCAA Tournament this time, the only game decided by single digits was the Sweet 16 win over No. 4 Arizona, 100-93.
Besides that, every win has been by double digits, including a 20-point win over No. 2 Alabama in the Elite Eight.
Duke freshman Cooper Flagg – the potential top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft – has looked every bit the part on the biggest stage.
On Wednesday night, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer discussed Flagg with Scott Van Pelt.
“I think he’s always looked like the number one pick in the draft, even early in the year,” Scheyer said. “I don’t know if I prepared him well enough early in the season for some of the moments he’d be in.”
“He has such a killer instinct and part of his genius is the fact that he can win a game with scoring, rebounding, steals, blocks, you name it. Whatever that game requires, he finds a way to come up with those plays to help us win.
Flagg suffered an ankle injury in the ACC Tournament opener, which caused him to miss the rest of the conference tournament.
Thankfully for Duke, Flagg was able to play in the first round of March Madness, and he has looked incredible in every game. Here are his stat lines through the first four games of March Madness: 1st round vs. Mount St. Mary’s: 14 points, seven rebounds, five assists, two blocks (22 minutes) 2nd round vs. Baylor: 18 points, nine rebounds, six assists, one block Sweet 16 vs. Arizona: 30 points, seven assists, six rebounds, three blocks Elite Eight vs. Alabama: 16 points, nine rebounds, three assists, one block There is almost no question Flagg will be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, barring a surprising decision to play another year in college.
Now, the question is whether or not Flagg and Duke can cut down the net and bring home a national title.
