The job that comes in for Cooper Flagg. The university star had a mixed evening for his first big NCAA poster against Kentucky. He was thus dominant and leader of Duke for a long time before breaking down at the end of the match, costing dearly in the setback for Duke (77-72). The possible future number 1 in the NBA draft lost two crucial balls in the last 18 seconds, while the two teams were back to back.
For this first real test against a strong opponent, Cooper Flagg did better than respond. While the Blue Devils got off to the best start thanks to a good offensive balance in the first period, the 17-year-old winger took charge after returning from the locker room.
Keystone of the Duke attack, Cooper Flagg once again displayed the maturity of his game, showing himself to be patient and fair in the majority of his choices. At least until the last minute.
Two lost bullets at the worst time
Because while he had put his team back in front, then equalized 74 seconds from the buzzer, he found himself stranded on two consecutive possessions in the final moments, with two lost balls at 15 and then 5 seconds from the end.
Kentucky did not need to be asked to win thanks to free throws, when Duke did not attempt a single shot in the last minute of the game…
Great performance for Kentucky, undefeated in its first three matches. The Wildcats relied on the style of play dear to their new coach Mark Pope by trying to free up their shooters as much as possible. Successful operation with an almost identical percentage at two as at three points (10/25 from afar, 40.3% overall), when Duke only signed a very weak 4/23 behind the arc, including 1/5 for Cooper Flagg. The NCAA star finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks and some lessons to learn for the rest of his season.
The other poster of this “Champions Classic” saw Kansas, number 1 in the “rankings”, win without shining against Michigan State (77-69).
Canada
