Ad Disclosure
Friedlander: Challenging 4-game stretch will tell a lot about Cooper Flagg and his Duke Blue Devils
Published:
For 39 minutes against Kentucky last week, Cooper Flagg showed us why he’s projected to be the first overall pick in next spring’s NBA Draft.
He rebounded.
He passed.
He ran the floor and defended.
And even though he was only 1-of-5 from 3-point range, the Duke star still scored 26 points on a national stage against a veteran, ranked opponent.
Then came the final minute.
On 2 decisive possessions over that final 60-second span, we were reminded that Flagg – as physically gifted as he might be – is still just a 17-year-old freshman.
Trusted with the ball and an opportunity to first take the lead, then send the game into overtime, Flagg turned it over twice, sending the Blue Devils to a 77-72 defeat.
Cooper Flagg with a pair of costly turnovers that allowed Kentucky to take the lead late. pic.twitter.com/y4VXRdEZd8
— Chatterbox Sports (@CBoxSports) November 13, 2024
Because of the hype that preceded the 6-9 prodigy’s arrival at Duke and the expectations placed on his shoulders, the late-game stumbles immediately became a referendum on his legitimacy.
Cue the chants of Over-rated! from opposing student sections.
Starting as soon as Saturday.
The reality of the situation, however, is that the Kentucky game was little more than the first real test for both Flagg and his team.
Like their star, the rest of the Blue Devils showed how good they can be during a first half that saw them share the ball, make shots and defend while building a 9-point lead. Only to show how young and inexperienced they still are when the Wildcats began putting the heat on them down the stretch.
Especially fellow freshmen Kon Knueppel, who found that shooting and making 3s isn’t as easy against elite power conference teams as it is against Maine, Army and Wofford, and Khaman Maluach, who spent a good portion of the second half dealing with leg cramps.
While it’s a well-documented fact that games in November do impact what happens in March, at least when it comes to seeding for teams like Duke, this early defeat can be dismissed as little more than a learning experience.
A normal product of the growth process.
That being the case, it shouldn’t take long to judge how well Jon Scheyer and his team put the lessons they learned against Kentucky to practical use.
On Friday, they’ll take their show on the road to play No. 17 Arizona in a rare nonconference road game. It’s the first in a challenging 4-game stretch that will vault them to the top of the polls and establish them as a legitimate Final Four contender or expose them as just another talented team with a lot of work to do between now and tournament time.
Before returning home from the Desert Southwest, the Blue Devils will take on top-ranked Kansas in Las Vegas next Wednesday. Then after catching their breath against Seattle, the Blue Devils will take on No. 4 Auburn at Cameron Indoor Stadium as part of the ACC/SEC Challenge.
“We’ve worked hard on attacking every game no matter the situation, no matter the ranking; road, home or neutral, the same way,” Scheyer said during a media availability on Tuesday. “How can you approach it and be better than the last game?”
We’re about to find out.
And not just from Flagg.
While most of the attention will be trained on him to see how he responds from the disappointing finish to what was an otherwise breakout performance, his teammates will spend the next few games searching for answers far more important to the long-term success of their team.
Was sharpshooter Knueppel’s 5-for-20 (1-for-8) brickfest against Kentucky more the product of the unfamiliar Spalding balls used in the Champions Classic or stage fright under the intense heat of a national spotlight?
Can shot-blocking ace Maluach avoid foul trouble and that cramping issue to stay on the court and effective for more than 23 minutes?
After going only 3 deep off the bench against Kentucky and with 6-11 freshman Patrick Ngongba still limited by lingering foot problems dating back to his high school career, is this Duke team as deep as it’s purported to be?
And can Duke’s veteran backcourt of Tyrese Proctor and Caleb Foster provide the kind of consistent production and leadership necessary to close out tight games against top competition?
Jon Scheyer weighed in on getting another crack at Arizona in their building. pic.twitter.com/VwSCws30GS
— Will Dalton (@thewilldalton) November 16, 2024
“To get this test on the road this early, it’s an incredible opportunity for us,” Scheyer said. “I know for our team, how much we learned from the Kentucky game. We’re going to learn so much on this trip. It’s exciting to think about.”
Playing the likes of Arizona, Kansas and Auburn won’t just be a test for Duke’s players. It will also be a measuring stick for the growth of Scheyer as he continues to grow in his role as Mike Krzyzewski’s successor.
In each of his 3 seasons, the former Blue Devil national champion’s team has lost its first early-season matchup against a high-level opponent – Kansas in 2022, Arizona last year and Kentucky last week.
Those are the kind of games he’s going to have to start proving he can win. First in November and December, then in March and April.
Because while learning lessons from losses and improving with every game are admirable pursuits, at Duke, they’re nowhere near as important as winning.
No matter how young and inexperienced its team might be.
Award-winning columnist Brett Friedlander has covered the ACC and college basketball since the 1980s.
