The top-seeded Duke Blue Devils are set to face fellow No. 1 seed Houston in the Final Four this Saturday in San Antonio. This marks Duke’s first Final Four appearance under head coach Jon Scheyer, and their tournament run has been nearly flawless. Their only close contest was a 100-93 victory over No. 4 Arizona in the Sweet 16; all other wins have come by double digits, including a dominant 20-point win against No. 2 Alabama in the Elite Eight. Star freshman Cooper Flagg—widely projected as the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft—has lived up to the hype on college basketball’s biggest stage.
Jon Scheyer, the head coach of Duke, spoke with Scott Van Pelt about Flagg on Wednesday night. “I think he’s always looked like the number one pick in the draft, even early in the year,” Scheyer stated. “I don’t know if I prepared him well enough early in the season for some of the moments he’d be in.” “He can win a game by scoring, grabbing rebounds, stealing, blocking, or doing anything else you can think of. He has such a killer instinct. He always finds a way to come up with plays that will help us win, no matter what the game calls for.
“I think he’s always looked like the number one pick in the draft.”
Duke head coach Jon Scheyer talks about unlocking Cooper Flagg's potential this season 💪 pic.twitter.com/04n23H59sg
— ESPN (@espn) April 3, 2025
Cooper Flagg suffered an ankle injury during Duke’s ACC Tournament opener, forcing him to miss the remainder of the conference tournament. Fortunately for the Blue Devils, he was ready to go by the start of March Madness—and he’s been outstanding ever since.
Here’s a look at his performances through Duke’s first four NCAA Tournament games:
- First Round vs. Mount St. Mary’s: 14 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks (in just 22 minutes)
- Second Round vs. Baylor: 18 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 block
- Sweet 16 vs. Arizona: 30 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks
- Elite Eight vs. Alabama: 16 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block
Flagg’s consistent dominance has all but solidified his status as the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft—unless he unexpectedly returns for another college season. Now, all eyes are on whether he can help lead Duke to a national championship.
