It has been a historic start to a college career for Duke basketball freshman Cooper Flagg and he’s already tying records inside the Blue Devil program.
Flagg added 22 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, three steals, and two blocks in No. 9 Duke’s victory over No. 2 Auburn on Wednesday night and it was the second time this season that the potential No. 1 overall pick posted a stat line of at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks against a ranked opponent.
He’s now tied Zion Williamson and Shelden Williams as the only Duke players to reach that feat in the last 40 years.
Flagg recorded 26 points, 11 rebounds, and two blocks against No. 19 Kentucky in early November.
“He’s always wanting to get better in every aspect of his game,” Jon Scheyer said after the victory. “I like the strength that he’s playing with.”
The incredible performance against a ranked team was much needed for Flagg because it’s unclear how many more opportunities he will get to earn the outright title in the statistic for the program.
“I’ve always felt like Cooper’s a one-time guy. He only needs to see something one time to get adjusted. I saw that with him with USA and I saw that in high school when he had tough moments.”
Duke does not play another game against a ranked team until it faces Pittsburgh on January 7 but the Panthers are coming off of a 33-point loss against Mississippi State in the ACC vs. SEC Challenge.
North Carolina is the only other ranked ACC team but could be dropping out after its 15-point home loss against Alabama but will lurk around the rankings for a majority of the season.
Duke’s final non-conference game will come against Illinois, a fringe Top-25 team, in late February inside Madison Square Garden.