Cooper Flagg Outshines VJ Edgecombe as CBB Fans Applaud Duke's Dominant Win vs. Baylor

With just over three minutes to play in the first half of Sunday's second-round matchup between No. 1 Duke and No. 9 Baylor, Jalen Celestine drained a three to cut the Bears' deficit to 35-30.

It was all Duke from there.

The Blue Devils finished the first half on a 12-0 run and didn't slow down after halftime, asserting their dominance in a 89-66 win at the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

Cooper Flagg was once again the best player on the floor, finishing with 18 points, nine rebounds, six assists and a block, while Tyrese Proctor added 25 points and shot 7-of-8 from three. Baylor's VJ Edgecombe—potentially a top-five pick in this summer's NBA draft, like Flagg—had a solid game but couldn't stem the Duke onslaught, finishing with 16 points and six boards.

After the contest, fans and pundits alike were impressed by Flagg and Duke's workmanlike dominance:

That injured left ankle Flagg was dealing with certainly seems to be just fine.

The Blue Devils came into the tournament as one of the favorites, if not the definitive favorite, so Sunday's performance shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Just about the only thing that can seem to slow down these Dukies is injuries or a bad shooting night, and even without Flagg, the Blue Devils still won the ACC tournament.

Granted, the conference had a major down year—Duke is the only ACC representative left in the tournament. But it still was a testament to how deep these Blue Devils run despite Flagg remaining the center of attention.

Sunday's performance was an efficient one for Duke. The Blue Devils had just six turnovers, 17 assists, shot 12-of-22 from three and 19-of-23 from the charity stripe, repeatedly attacking the basket and drawing fouls.

Baylor felt the full wrath of Duke's upside. There aren't many teams who would've fared much better. The winner of 4-seed Arizona vs. 5-seed Oregon will be the next unlucky team to try.