Duke has had some phenomenal freshman grace the floors of Cameron Indoor Stadium. Zion Williamson, Jayson Tatum, Marvin Bagley, JJ Redick, Jared McCain, RJ Barrett and Kyrie Irving to name a few. But Saturday the Blue Devils’ latest star – Cooper Flagg – made sure his name will stand a part from them all – setting the Duke and ACC freshman single-game scoring record.
Flagg scored 40 points in Duke’s 80-70 win over Notre Dame. In addition to the 40-burger, Flagg led the team in assists with seven and grabbed six rebounds.
“It’s incredible list of players and freshmen who have come through Duke whether they’ve stayed four years, two years or one year,” Flagg said after the game. Just the be mentioned among them is a dream come true to me and something I’ve dreamed about since I was a little kid.”
“I thought it was his timing of key plays,” Duke head coach Jon Scheyer said after the win. “Anytime we needed a basket he came through and just the will throughout. He just willed us. The fact that it translated to 42 is great, but to me it was just his competitiveness and the timing of his key plays.”
Prior to Saturday’s game Zion Williamson (2019 v. Syracuse) and Jared McCain (2024 at FSU) both held the record at 35 points. Previous record holders include: JJ Redick: 34 (2003 v. UVA) and Marvin Bagley III: 34 (2017 v. Texas).
