Cooper Flagg shares reaction to scoring 42 points vs. Notre Dame

Cooper Flagg put up 42 points for Duke in a win over Notre Dame Saturday, further cementing his status as one of the best players in college basketball.

Don’t forget, Flagg is still a true freshman and widely expected to go No. 1 overall in next year’s NBA Draft. Heck, ESPN’s Jay Bilas already threw around Christian Laettner comparisons to the Blue Devils’ star. 

Flagg was asked if his point total meant anything in the aftermath.

“Not really. I mean I’m really just trying to do whatever it takes,” Flagg said postgame. “From the start, they were off me, just leaving me open in the corner a couple times early.  I’m going to take the open shots and make the right play, and tonight I was putting the ball in the basket.  I feel like this is one of my more aggressive performances. coming out ready, on fire, from the start. I have to give the credit to my teammates. They were getting me open looks from the jump.”

In addition to the 42 points, Flagg pulled down six rebounds and had seven assists.

“Really, really good win for us,” head coach Jon Scheyer said. “Obviously, Cooper had an all-time special performance. The stats speak for itself with 42 [points], six [rebounds] and seven [assists]. He got fouled 13 times, but more than that, I thought it was just his timing of key plays. Anytime we needed a basket, he came through. The will throughout, he just willed us. The fact that it translated to 42 is great, but to me, it was just his competitiveness and the timing of his key plays.” 

Flagg was key to a hot start for Duke. The Blue Devils raced out to a 14-0 lead and while Notre Dame climbed back into it.

“I thought the way we started was great,” Scheyer said. “It’s a little bit of a gift and a curse because of what’s happened with the margin of victory over the last few games for us. I think we have to fight the human nature of thinking it’s just going to happen. For us, I think to play in a tight game was really good, because you have to make plays and feel the value of every possession on the defensive end and offensive end. I thought we had some uncharacteristic turnovers down the stretch, and so I thought it was a great experience.”