Andraya Carter declares Duke the 'best team right now,' compares Cooper Flagg to Paolo Banchero

Duke is 15-1 in its last 16 games and is widely considered one of the most complete teams in college basketball this season. Of course, at the forefront of the effort is true freshman superstar Cooper Flagg.

During ESPN College GameDay, the panel of Andraya Carter, Rece Davis, Jay Williams and Seth Greenberg debated which team was the best in the country. Of course, Auburn and Alabama were brought up but when Carter was tasked with revealing her perspective, she was firm in her assessment of the Blue Devils.

“I would say they’re the best team right now when they have Cooper Flagg, the weapons that they have, the defense that they play, the size that they have, and they have a superstar,” Carter said on ESPN College GameDay. “Going back to Cooper Flagg, I remember doing sideline when Duke had Paolo Banchero. He sweats a lot. He was always exhausted. It was something we talked about.

“He had a phenomenal NCAA Tournament. When it comes to Cooper Flagg in the NCAA Tournament, I’m not worried at all. I would say Duke has the edge right now.”

During the 2021-22 season, former Duke star Paolo Banchero suffered from cramps in November. The issue subsided after that as hydration became a pivotal aspect of his recovery and gameday preparations.

The Duke team that Banchero was on went to make the Final Four in head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final season with the program.

Like Banchero as a freshman, Flagg has seen similar issues with cramps on the court. Just like in Banchero’s case, Duke has made accommodations to help their star player. Head coach Jon Scheyer has made clear throughout the season that his cramping issue is unrelated to potentially poor hydration practices or nutrition.

However, if Flagg can mirror what Banchero and his squad were able to accomplish, his lasting legacy in Durhman could last a lifetime. Not to mention he also averages 19.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game for Duke this season — higher than Banchero’s freshman averages in almost all of those categories aside from averaging 7.9 boards, he’s already on his way.

With Duke sitting at 21-3 overall with one loss in ACC play, it’s no surprise that the Blue Devils are projecting as a 1-seed in Joe Lunardi’s most recent NCAA Tournament update. With the postseason looming, they still have six more games left on their regular season schedule. They’ll next take on Stanford at home on Saturday, beginning at 4 p.m. ET.