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Cooper Flagg Praised by Fans as No. 2 Duke Escapes Unranked Wake Forest's Upset Bid

Taylyn HadleyJanuary 26, 2025

WINSTON SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA - JANUARY 25: Cooper Flagg #2 of the Duke Blue Devils drives to the basket during the first half of a basketball game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum on January 25, 2025 in Winston Salem, North Carolina. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
David Jensen/Getty Images

Cooper Flagg and the Duke Blue Devils narrowly avoided a loss to unranked Wake Forest on Saturday, with Flagg scoring 24 points to lead his team to a 63-56 victory.

In addition to his 24 points, Flagg recorded seven rebounds and six assists, shooting 50 percent from the field and going 7-of-9 from the free throw line. With the win, Duke improved to 17-2 on the season, while Wake Forest dropped to 16-4.

Despite committing seven turnovers, fans praised Flagg for overcoming the team's second-half struggles to keep the No. 1-ranked Blue Devils' season alive:

B/R Hoops @brhoops

Cooper Flagg on the road against Wake Forest:<br>24 PTS | 8- 16 FG | 7 REB | 6 AST <a href="https://t.co/JEzsyqL1yz">pic.twitter.com/JEzsyqL1yz</a>

Kazeem Famuyide πŸ‡³πŸ‡¬ 🍎 @Kazeem

I'm sorry guys, Cooper Flagg is really the goods. Dude plays with an A+ teammate grade at all times

Mikel Obi @coolguy551_

Cooper Flagg has all the tools to be #1 scoring option. Being able to score from all 3 levels even though your team's offense is rough is a special gift πŸ”₯πŸ”₯πŸ”₯

Kaitlin Tomassoni @ktomassoni1

COOPER MF FLAGG

Yahoo Sports @YahooSports

Cooper Flagg is halfway to a triple-double entering the half with 9/5/5 😈 <a href="https://t.co/oVOnbKMN8p">pic.twitter.com/oVOnbKMN8p</a>

riley @rileyricharrds

Cooper Flagg is something else on the defensive end man. <br><br>Instincts<br>Athleticism <br>Hands <br>Motor<br>IQ<br><br>All just so elite. Will make so many ALL NBA defensive teams

Brian @BrianJNBA

Cooper Flagg: 21 points on 15 shots<br><br>Everyone else on Duke: 32 points on 38 shots

Colton Steinerβ„’ πŸŽ™οΈ @s_colton

Cooper Flagg is one of the best Duke freshman I have ever seen

Mike Leonard @MArdenLeonard

Cooper Flagg fun to watch. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Duke?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Duke</a>

Behind Flagg, Freshman guard Kon Knueppel finished the night with 15 points, nine rebounds and three assists to help extend their win streak to 13 straight games and hold their first place spot in the ACC.

Flagg went 4-of-4 from the field in the first half but missed all of his three-point attempts as the Blue Devils took a 35-22 lead at halftime.

After the break, the Deacons mounted a quick 7-0 run, prompting a Duke timeout as they cut the lead to 35-29. Flagg ramped up his play in the second half, carrying his team to a victory that was capped off with two game-clinching free throws.

Flagg is averaging 19.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists this season while shooting 48.8 percent from the field as a true freshman with Duke. His impressive performance has garnered significant hype from college basketball fans and NBA hopefuls eager for a future with the phenom.

Duke and Flagg will look to keep their streak alive when they face NC State at home on Monday.