By PATRICK WALSH
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Cooper Flagg will likely be playing his last weekend of college basketball in San Antonio at the Final Four.
The freshman phenom has no time to reminisce, though, as the Duke Blue Devils will face off against the Houston Cougars in the NCAA Semifinal on Saturday.
“I think you have to give them a lot of credit for what they’ve been able to do all year long with the pressure and the effort they play with every single night,” Flagg said. “I think that’s the biggest thing from watching all the film and whatnot. Just seeing the amount of effort and pressure they’re able to put on teams is the biggest thing I’ve seen so far.”
Flagg, who was named the USBWA Oscar Robertson Player of the Year on Friday, credited his parents for getting him to this point, both on and off the court.
“I mean, honestly I don’t know if she was playing one-on-one with me to better my development,” Flagg said, when talking about playing against his mom. “I think she just enjoyed beating me all the time. That competitive edge is what pushed her to come play against me.”
Flagg led a Duke team that rolled to an ACC Regular Season and Postseason title. The projected No. 1 overall pick averaged 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 points this season. In the NCAA Tournament, Flagg has scored at least 14 points in each game, including a 30-point performance against Arizona in the Sweet 16.
Duke features the ninth-best scoring offense in the country, averaging 83.7 points per game. That offensive prowess will be put to the test, facing the best scoring defense in the country, Houston.
Blue Devil Head Coach Jon Scheyer pointed out Houston’s stifling defense.
“Just watching them on film, any Coach Sampson team, you talk about five guys moving as one on defense, they’re the epitome of that. Whenever something is happening, you see five guys always moving. So the window of opportunity you have is smaller than a regular game you play.”
When comparing the two teams, they enter with nearly the same resume. Both are top-tier teams at what they excel at, both have won their conference.
However, Houston Head Coach Kelvin Sampson knows talent when he sees it.
“I watch Cooper Flagg. One year we were playing Syracuse in the Elite Eight to go to the Final Four. Syracuse’s best player was Carmelo Anthony. I coached against Gary Payton as a freshman. Sean Elliott. Jason Kidd. Paul Pierce. T.J. Ford. A lot of great players. This guy is right there with all of ’em.”
Flagg and the Blue Devils will be challenged by a Houston Cougar team that is 30-1 since November 30, the one loss coming at home against Texas Tech.
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