Cooper Flagg is a killer on the court.
He wants to win at all costs, no matter the consequences. It’s a quality that makes this Duke basketball team so good because he always wants more, and he proved that on Saturday night inside Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Flagg and the No. 2 Blue Devils steamrolled North Carolina, 87-70, in a game where the final score was a lot closer than the score indicated.
Still, there is more Cooper Flagg wants to accomplish.
“I would say I’m never really satisfied with the way we played,” Flagg told the media after the victory.
“We definitely still have a lot we can grow from, a lot to get better at, but it definitely was a good win for us, and we played pretty well.”
Duke (19-2, 11-0 ACC) led by as many as 32 points in the game and held a 27-point advantage with 6:45 to play before taking its foot off the gas. Flagg finished with 21 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, three steals, and two blocks in his first game of the rivalry.
He looked like a seasoned veteran that knew what to expect as soon as the ball was tipped.
His freshman teammate, Kon Knueppel, was equally as impressive in his debut against the Tar Heels with 22 points, five rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a block.
“It's a hard matchup with Cooper,” North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis said. “Cooper is a great basketball player. His ability to create for himself and create for his teammates has been something that's been a huge benefit for their team.”
The victory marked the 15th straight for the Blue Devils as they will begin a two-game road trip this week against Syracuse (10-12, 4-7 ACC) on Wednesday and Clemson (18-4, 10-1 ACC) on Saturday night, which could be for first place in the ACC regular season standings.
Duke will tipoff with the Orange at 7:00 p.m. ET (ESPN2).