Duke’s Cooper Flagg quiets Arizona crowd with 24 points

TUCSON, Ariz. — Duke freshman phenom Cooper Flagg got his first taste of a true college road atmosphere on Friday night, playing in front of a raucous announced crowd of 14,634 at Arizona’s McKale Center.

For a few early moments, he looked a little nervous. It was fleeting.

Flagg scored 16 points in the second half, finishing with a game-high 24 as No. 12 Duke pulled away for a 69-55 win over No. 17 Arizona. The pre-season All-American shot 10 of 22 from the field, grabbed six rebounds and had three assists, two blocks and a steal.

“In the first half, I was a little soft on my finishes,” Flagg said. “It was a high-level college basketball game, really physical. They’re a physical team. But I found my footing and started playing off two feet a little better.”

Flagg — the nation’s No. 1 overall recruit who wowed NBA stars in a workout against the U.S. Olympic Team this summer — is no stranger to high expectations. The six-foot-nine forward has been very good in his first five career games, averaging 17.8 points.

But a hostile crowd of this magnitude was something different. It’ll be the first of many.

“The environment tonight — to get tested this early in the season on the road — I find incredible value in it and I think our guys would say the same thing after tonight,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said.

Flagg got better as the game progressed and quieted the McKale Center with a one-handed jam in traffic to give the Blue Devils a 46-33 lead with 12:31 left. It was the beginning of an offensive onslaught that included 10 points over about six minutes.

Fellow freshman Kon Knueppel also had good moments late in the game, hitting two crucial three-pointers. Knueppel finished with 13.

But it’s Flagg that attracts most of the eyeballs — from fans and opposing players. So far, he’s proven worthy.

“He’s tall and athletic and can finish over a lot of bodies,” Arizona’s KJ Lewis said. “I don’t know. He’s just super athletic. We did a good job containing him in the first half, but then we went away from the game plan, didn’t communicate and he found openings.”