Dick Vitale praises Duke, 'best player in the land' Cooper Flagg ahead of Sweet 16

Dick Vitale joined The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday ahead of this weekend’s highly-anticipated Sweet 16. While some brackets are busted, his Final Four is still alive, and it’s evident he’s more confident in Duke than any other team at the moment.

The Blue Devils more than took care of business during the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament. First, they defeated Mount St. Mary’s 93-49 in a game that was more than a forgone conclusion. Then, Baylor was their victim — Duke smacked the Bears to the tune of a 23-point win. Arizona is on the docket in the Sweet 16, but it’s obvious Vitale believes the sky is the limit for Cooper Flagg and his teammates.

“My final four are still alive. Michigan State and Florida — looking at my board here in my house. Michigan State, Florida in one semifinal. Duke and Houston in the other. It’s all setting up [for] Duke and Florida. When it said and time to cut the nets down — they’re going to scream, you know, I get this all the time and I laugh about it — they’ll say, ‘Duke-ie Vitale!’ Well, what’s there not to like about them? Think about why they’re good,” Vitale told McAfee. “They’re the only team in the nation — the only team — that is in a situation where their top five in the nation offensively and defensively efficiency. When you’re stellar in both those areas, you’ve got chance to win.

“Then, they’ve got the best player in the land (Cooper Flagg), and no doubt about it. I mean Flagg, and then [Tyrese] Proctor’s been on fire. But the kid — when you talk about Flagg, he is so special. He makes those things happen, because his presence on the floor creates space for guys like Proctor to get free, to shoot the three. So, he’s one of those guys like — I guess in football you have them as well. But he’s one of those guys, his presence makes everybody better.”

All told, it might not be easy for Duke to get to the Final Four, as they’ll have to defeat old foe Caleb Love and the Wildcats in the Sweet 16, and then potentially await Alabama or BYU in the Elite Eight. The path has been laid out, but it’s easier said than done. Regardless, the Blue Devils are expected to be the final team standing after the East Regional finishes up at the Prudential Center.

Will Duke make Dick Vitale proud and come through for the ESPN analyst? Time will tell, but this may be their best shot in quite some time to get the job done. Cooper Flagg is likely NBA bound at the end of this run, so we’ll see if he can go out on top, cutting down the nets after a national title win.