1-seed Duke basketball will move onto the Sweet Sixteen for the second straight season after taking down 9-seed Baylor 89-66 behind a stellar 25-point performance from junior guard Tyrese Proctor. The Blue Devils will face the winner of 4-seed Arizona and 5-seed Oregon in Newark, New Jersey later this week.
Duke freshman phenom Cooper Flagg, the almost guaranteed #1 overall selection in this summer's 2025 NBA Draft, went up against another top freshman in college basketball, Baylor's VJ Edgecombe, who will likely be a top-five pick in this summer's draft as well.
Flagg was dominant from the start and avoided what could've been an injury to keep him out of the game. The Maine native was poked in the eye by Baylor's Norchad Omier which caused some bleeding, but Flagg was able to return and play the rest of the game.
Proctor stole the show with his ridiculous 25-point effort on 7-of-8 shooting from three-point range, but Flagg put on a dominant performance as well against one of the top freshman in the nation in Edgecombe.
Flagg finished the contest with 18 points, nine rebounds, and six assists on 5-of-11 shooting from the floor. The freshman phenom was getting into the paint at will and making life incredibly difficult for the Baylor wings on defense, including Edgecombe.
Edgecombe, who's probably the best pure athlete in the 2025 draft class, finished his final college game with 16 points and six rebounds on 6-of-12 shooting from the floor. The Baylor freshman standout ends his freshman campaign with the Bears averaging 15.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists on 43.4% shooting from the floor and 34.5% shooting from beyond the perimeter.
Both Flagg and Edgecombe will be two of the most sought-after prospects in this summer's draft, and the Baylor freshman will hear his name called not too long after Flagg does with the top overall selection.
The Blue Devils put on an offensive clinic as a whole tonight, shooting 64.4% from the field as a team and 12-of-22 (54.5%) from beyond the arc.
Duke has looked absolutely dominant through the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, winning each of its first two games by 44 points and 23 points respectively. With Proctor's recent play and Flagg's continued dominance, Duke's hunt for a sixth national title continues to move closer towards a reality.