With less than eight minutes remaining in Duke’s decisive victory over Alabama in the NCAA tournament’s East regional final on Saturday, Duke’s standout freshman, Cooper Flagg, found himself guarded by Alabama’s Mark Sears. Sears, like Flagg, is a first-team All-American and had previously scored 10 three-pointers against BYU. The fans in Newark, N.J., were eager to see Flagg and Sears in action, and they witnessed them going head-to-head in a crucial moment.
Alabama trailed by only seven points. Flagg, who ended the game with 16 points on 6-for-16 shooting, was struggling to find his rhythm. Despite Sears being eight inches shorter, he challenged Flagg. Sears attempted to displace Flagg, but Flagg managed to score a short jumper over him, extending Duke’s lead. Later, Sears tried to disrupt Flagg again, causing him to fall. However, Flagg maintained possession, got up, and scored again, giving Duke a 76-58 lead with just over three minutes left.
Sears then missed an easy shot, capping off a disappointing night where he shot just 2-12 from the field with only one three-pointer. This miss essentially sealed Alabama’s fate.
Flagg delivered when it mattered most. “Don’t hang your head,” Flagg, a likely top NBA draft pick, said.
Duke, a program with five national championships under the legendary Coach K, is heading to its first Final Four since Coach K’s final season in 2022. It’s also the first appearance for his successor, Jon Scheyer. Duke will now face the winner of the Houston-Tennessee game in the national semifinals in San Antonio. The Blue Devils are poised to compete against Florida, who also advanced to the Final Four with a win against Texas Tech. Florida will play the winner of the Auburn-Michigan State game in the other national semifinal. No college player has made more crucial NCAA tournament shots than Florida guard.
The spotlight will be on Flagg in Texas, as he is considered the most complete freshman in college basketball since Kevin Durant in 2007 and is playing for Duke. Durant, who played for Texas, never advanced past the second round.
Despite complaints about the lack of underdog stories in the men’s NCAA tournament, seeing top players and teams reach the final stages is positive. A Duke-Alabama Elite Eight matchup, and a potential Duke-Florida national championship game, are exciting prospects.
Earlier in March, Flagg was injured during the ACC tournament and had to leave in a wheelchair, raising concerns. However, he recovered for March Madness and has been performing well. Flagg, named the East region’s Most Outstanding Player, delivered a historic freshman performance on Thursday, recording 30 points, seven assists, six rebounds, and three blocks. He is the only freshman to ever achieve at least 25 points, five rebounds, and five assists in the Sweet 16 round or later. Despite some missed shots on Saturday, he still had 9 rebounds, a block, and three assists, including an alley-oop to Khaman Maluach. On Thursday, he assisted the big man with two consecutive alley-oop dunks.
“I enjoy throwing a lob to Khaman or Pat [Ngongba II, another Duke center] more than scoring myself,” Flagg told TIME after the game. “Setting up a teammate for a dunk gives me a lot of momentum and energy. Those are some of my favorite things to do on the court.”
Before the game, a young fan asked Flagg to sign his underwear during warmups, highlighting the frenzy surrounding him. After the game, his mother, Kelly, proudly watched Flagg and his teammates celebrate, wearing a t-shirt with numerous images of her son. A young fan had created and sent it to her. Flagg grew up in Maine, a state not known for basketball talent. “This is beyond our wildest dreams,” says Kelly.
“I’ve been trying to prove that it doesn’t matter where you’re from or what resources you have, as long as you’re dedicated and give 100%, you can succeed,” says Flagg.
Flagg remains focused on the present, cherishing his time at Duke and not focusing on his future as a professional. Two more wins would cap off what could be one of the greatest seasons in college basketball history.
Not a bad opening act.