College Basketball
WATCH: Cooper Flagg erupts for ACC Freshman-record 42 points
Top NBA prospect and Duke star Cooper Flagg set an ACC Freshman record with 42 points against Notre Dame.
It eclipsed the previous single-game scoring record of 41 set by Boston College’s Olivier Hanlan back in 2013. North Carolina’s Harrison Barnes and Tyler Hansbrough are tied for third with 40-point games.
Duke defeated Notre Dame 86-78.
“I was just out there playing,” Flagg told the media. “When I’m in the game, I don’t really know what’s going on. I’m just playing locked in.”
Watch Flagg Dominate Notre Dame
In 36 minutes of action, Flagg shot 11-for-14 from the field including 4-for-6 from three. He had been struggling shooting the ball from distance coming in, shooting just 30.8 percent on threes.
Beyond the strong jump shooting, Flagg showed good touch around the basket and had a couple solid moves off the bounce for pull-up jumpers in the mid-range area as well.
Flagg was in attack mode throughout the game, setting a Duke Freshman record with 16 made free-throws on 17 attempts. Notre Dame attempted 16 free-throws as a team.
If the scoring wasn’t enough, Flagg also tallied six rebounds and seven assists.
That all-round type of performance is exactly what has NBA teams salivating at the prospect of adding the 18-year-old to their roster.
Flagg Sweepstakes In Full Flow
Several NBA teams will be thrilled by Flagg’s performance in this one, as tanking efforts are all systems go knowing there’s a stacked draft class led by Flagg to look forward to.
The Washington Wizards currently hold the worst record in the league at 6-30. The New Orleans Pelicans are just a half-game better at 8-31, followed by the Toronto Raptors (8-30), Charlotte Hornets (8-27), and the Utah Jazz (9-28).
Only the three worst records will each receive a 14 percent chance of winning the draft lottery, while the fourth-worst record will have a 12.5 percent chance.
The fifth-worst record will have a 10.5 percent chance.