No. 9 Duke erased a 14-point deficit on the road Sunday to escape Louisville with a 76-65 win in its first ACC test of the 2024-25 regular season. The Blue Devils outscored shorthanded Louisville 43-28 in the second half and outscored their conference foe 34-14 in the paint while improving to 7-2 on the season.
Duke star freshman Cooper Flagg had yet another big day at the office to lead Duke with 20 points and 12 rebounds, marking his fourth career double-double. Flagg fouled out for the first time all season and played just 28 minutes. But he made his mark in the game with two steals, one block and one assist to boot.
Flagg’s big game put an exclamation mark on what was a big week both personally for him and for his team after the Blue Devils took down No. 2 Auburn on Wednesday behind his 22 points, 11 rebounds and four assists.
You gotta see this
Flagg’s developing face-up game has shown some improvement already this season, but as we saw Sunday, perhaps he doesn’t need it! Even if he isn’t able to finish in 1-on-1 settings, he always has the option of simply cleaning up his own messes at the rim — like this finish vs. the Cards. A thing of beauty.
Key stat:
12 rebounds: Flagg set a new career-high with 12 rebounds vs. Louisville and did his damage all while playing the third-fewest minutes in a game all season.
Giving out a grade
The bar for grading Flagg is high but even by his own standards, this was a really solid performance. He made a huge difference on the boards, was active on defense and showed aggressiveness on offense. He finished 8-of-17 shooting. Grade: B
Up next
Duke will face Incarnate Word on Tuesday as the Blue Devils return home to Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Duke, Flagg topple No. 2 Auburn
You gotta see this
Flagg knocked down a tough fadeaway jumper in the first half against Auburn. This kind of self-creation is the next step in his development.
Key…
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