Cooper Flagg's Late Turnovers Criticized by Fans as No. 19 Kentucky Upsets No. 6 Duke
Three games into his college career, two things are abundantly clear—Cooper Flagg is indeed the truth, but he's also still a freshman.
The Duke phenom—and the highlight of the Blue Devils' top-ranked recruiting class in 2024—was fantastic on Tuesday night against Kentucky in the Champions Classic, scoring 26 points to go along with 12 rebounds, two assists and two steals.
But he also had two turnovers on Duke's final two possessions, both crucial blunders in Kentucky's 77-72 victory.
Flagg's turnovers, along with his struggles from beyond the arc (1-of-5 from three), were the main knocks against his performance on Tuesday. He wasn't alone when it came to shooting woes—Duke was atrocious in general from deep, finishing 4-of-22 on threes. Had the Blue Devils been even half-decent on those looks, many of them wide open, they probably would have won comfortably.
Instead, the Blue Devils lost their first game of the year, dropping to 2-1. And after the contest, Flagg took some heat for his late-game struggles, though they were mostly couched in praise for his overall showing:
Flagg has been the most hyped player in college basketball, and outside of those final 30 seconds or so on Tuesday, he's lived up to expectations. There's no doubt that he'll need to improve his perimeter shot at the next level to become a true star, but his handle and playmaking for a kid his size are impressive, as is his defensive impact. He has special, unique versatility.
But Kentucky (3-0) ratcheted up the defense in the second half and got just enough from Andrew Carr (17 points) and Otega Oweh (15 points, six rebounds) to pull off the upset.
It will be a good learning experience for Flagg in his development. Duke is a young team, but the upside is off the charts. With a little more experience, Flagg and the Blue Devils are going to be a real problem.
