With just one game left in the regular season, the No. 2 seed Duke Blue Devils are gearing up for the ACC and NCAA Tournaments, which will dominate the coming weeks and could extend into April as they chase a national championship. A key factor in Duke’s success this season has been standout freshman and projected No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, Cooper Flagg. Although Flagg has hinted at the possibility of returning to Duke, it’s widely expected that he will declare for the draft, given his status as a generational talent.
Despite likely being a one-and-done player, Flagg has excelled both on the court and in the classroom. The Newport, Maine native finished the fall semester with a perfect 4.0 GPA, tying fellow freshman star Khaman Maluach for the highest GPA on the team. Since Duke highlighted his academic achievements on Jan. 11, Flagg has continued to lead the Blue Devils in nearly every statistical category, including points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, field goal percentage, and minutes played, while also anchoring their defense.
As Duke prepares for Saturday’s rivalry matchup against North Carolina, Flagg is averaging 19.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game, shooting 49.7% from the field, 38.2% from three, and 82.8% from the free-throw line. He is a finalist for the Julius Erving Award, recognizing the nation’s top power forward, and the frontrunner for the Wooden Award, given to the National Player of the Year. If he maintains his academic performance, he could also earn recognition for his achievements in the classroom.