Cooper Flagg says he was ‘soft’ during Duke basketball win over Arizona

Cooper Flagg has been under a spotlight unlike any other college basketball player this year and with that attention comes major reasonability to lead the Duke basketball team to success, which he has been at the forefront of this year.

Flagg has averaged 17.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.8 blocks, and 1.8 steals per game through five contests this season and most recently added 24 points, six rebounds, and three assists to the Blue Devils victory on the road against No. 17 Arizona on Friday.

However, he was not pleased with how he performed during the first half.

“I think in the first half, I was a little bit soft in some of my finishes,” Flagg explained.

“It’s a high-level college basketball game, like coach said. It was really physical. They're a very physical team.”

Flagg did struggle getting the ball in the basket during the opening 20 minutes, finishing with just eight points on 3-of-11 shooting before turning it on in the second half with a remarkable 16 points after halftime and making 7-of-11 shot attempts.

“I found my footing and played off two feet a little bit better and used some shot fakes. I was able to play a little bit stronger down low.”

There was criticism about Flagg following Duke’s loss to Kentucky two weeks ago after he committed two turnovers in the final minute to end any hope of a victory for the Blue Devils, but he appears to have learned from the experience and able to adjust to defenses easier.

He was named as the ACC's Player and Rookie of the Week following his showing against Arizona.

Cooper Flagg and the No. 11 Duke Blue Devils will look to continue its strong play with another daunting challenge looming against No. 1 Kansas on Tuesday night (9:00 p.m. ET, ESPN) in Las Vegas