Cooper Flagg scored 24 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out six assists in 39 of 40 minutes to lead the Duke Blue Devils to a 63-56 win over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Saturday.
Duke, the No. 2 team in the country, improved to 17-2 and 9-0 against ACC opponents. It was Flagg who gave the Blue Devils the shock they needed in the second half to pull away from Wake Forest. At one point, Flagg scored three goals on a series of seven straight possessions.
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Duke’s Cooper Flagg blocks a shot from Wake Forest’s Jock Harris in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
On defense, Duke switched from man-to-man to zone to slow down the Demon Deacons with about eight minutes left in the game. Flagg admitted that he had never played area before then. He finished with two blocks in the game.
Flagg’s legend is growing ahead of his potential move to the NBA. It’s performances like the one he had against Wake Forest that cement him as a potential generational talent at the next level. She even left an indelible impression on Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes.
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Duke’s Cooper Flagg drives as Wake Forest’s Tre’Von Spillers defends in Winston-Salem, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
“Gale,” he said when asked to describe Flagg. “I’ll give you an example — their leading scorer last year was the No. 1 pick in the second round. This guy will be the No. 1 pick in the first round. Big difference.
“He’s a tough guy to protect. He has all the tools. The great thing about him…is his unselfishness. He really wants others to succeed.”
Flagg is averaging 19.5 points, 8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists this season. Duke has 12 games remaining before the conference tournament begins.

Duke coach John Scheer talks to Cooper Flagg, left, and Kuhn Knoebel during a Wake Forest game, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
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Flagg and the Blue Devils are scheduled to play Monday night against NC State.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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2025-01-26 18:23:00
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