Cooper Flagg Disappoints CBB Fans as Duke Loses vs. Kansas After Dickinson Ejected

Scott Polacek@@ScottPolacekFeatured Columnist IVNovember 27, 2024

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Cooper Flagg may be the top player in the country, but Kansas is the top-ranked team.

And the Jayhawks proved why Tuesday.

No. 1 Kansas defeated Flagg and the No. 11 Duke Blue Devils 75-72 in a highly anticipated showdown at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Duke had multiple opportunities in crunch time, but Kon Knueppel turned it over and missed a three on the team’s last two possessions in the final seconds.

ESPN @espnKON KNUEPPEL ALMOST TIED IT AT THE BUZZER 😱

No. 1 Kansas holds on against No. 11 Duke 😤 pic.twitter.com/CDPmLBiSYI

Flagg didn’t touch the ball on either possession, although he also had a turnover in the final minute.

As a result, Kansas improved to 6-0 and now has wins over Duke, North Carolina and Michigan State, which will surely pay dividends come Selection Sunday. Tuesday’s victory was all the more impressive because Hunter Dickinson was ejected in the second half, but Dajuan Harris Jr. picked up the slack with 14 points, nine assists, three rebounds and three steals.

ESPN @espnHunter Dickinson was ejected after being assessed a flagrant 2 foul for kicking Maliq Brown. pic.twitter.com/lXR91RTiWX

As for the Blue Devils, they fell to 4-2 with losses to Kansas and Kentucky, although they do have a marquee win over Arizona.

Flagg was solid with 13 points, five rebounds and three assists on 5-of-9 shooting, but social media questioned why he didn’t have the ball at the end when Knueppel ended up 0-of-8 from three-point range:

Beans @BeanDip4774I’m sorry but Cooper Flagg has got to be the guy on the 2nd to last possession there… #1 on the NBA draft board for a reason.

ℕ𝔼𝕍𝔼ℝ 𝕊𝔸𝕋𝕀𝕊𝔽𝕀𝔼𝔻. @Keim_IsRareCooper Flagg with 0 touches the last two possessions is insane lol…wtf was Duke coaching staff doing during those timeouts???

Coach K on the sideline shaking his head!

An’Dre 🏁 @NLA_BoomfWhy they let Kneuppel or whatever his name is, take BOTH shots at the end of the game….Give that mf to Cooper Flagg!

Skip Bayless @RealSkipBaylessCOOPER FLAGG NEEDS TO BE LESS UNSELFISH AND MORE AGGRESSIVE AND DUKE HAS TO RUN MORE PLAYS FOR HIM AND FEATURE HIM. YES, KANSAS BLITZED HIM. BUT TWO SHOTS AND TWO POINTS? COME ON. HE’S BY FAR THE BEST PLAYER ON THE FLOOR.

Rob Dauster @RobDausterKansas is really over helping. Sending two to Cooper Flagg whenever he has it. Hedging hard and getting two bodies weakside in the lane. To me it looks like Bill Self has decided he’s going to dare Duke to beat them with threes.

Myron Medcalf @MedcalfByESPNI’ve seen Cooper Flagg live against Kentucky and Arizona thus far. And he’s dealing with a different kind of strength tonight with these grown men on the Kansas roster. Been more difficult for him to get to his spots. Incredible challenge for the future No. 1 pick.

No Escalators @NoEscalatorsIf I coached Cooper Flagg I would teach him to not do the thing that lost the last game that later went viral because the opposing coach predicted exactly what he’d do in the huddle.

Teddy Da Scout @teddydascoutCooper Flagg has all the tools but he must improve his ballhandling and get a go to move that does not require spinning

Ernie Krauth @eck0730Once again Scheyer with bad coaching. Yeah let’s give the floor general and put all the pressure on our 17 year olds rather than a season player like proctor who has been in big games and is a true 1. Stop with the “clear out for Flagg and watch” plays!!!! Do Better Scheyer!!!

Size Up NBA @sizeupNBAPeople ragging on Flagg in the clutch, but Duke legitimately got no offensive creators/initiators besides him. Duke just go to him for an isolation play with no real game plan. It doesn’t help when Kneuppel and Foster continuously no show in these big games.

Sherm @Sherm1206Cooper Flagg, 2nd big game you froze up but I’m actually fine with it! I see your potential and I know you’ll be better come tourney time!!

All eyes in the college basketball world were on Las Vegas to see what the potential No. 1 pick would do against the No. 1 team in a game that felt more like the Elite Eight than the regular season in November, but he took a backseat in the early going.

Flagg had just two points at halftime, which was somewhat of a testament to his unselfishness and also the result of the additional defensive attention the Jayhawks threw his way.

It was only a matter of time before he had an impact, though, and he fed off the additional intensity on the floor and in the crowd after Dickinson was ejected for kicking Maliq Brown in the head as they fell to the ground battling for the ball.

Flagg responded with a monster slam in the lane and another dunk down the stretch, and it seemed like the Blue Devils would finally seize control with the Jayhawks’ veteran big no longer on the court.

Bleacher Report @BleacherReportCOOPER FLAGG POSTER ON KANSAS 🤯💥

(via @DukeMBB)pic.twitter.com/o7Kwk6LyV2

Yet Rylan Griffen responded with six straight points, and a Zeke Mayo jumper in the last two minutes gave Kansas the lead after Flagg tied it with a layup.

That was the final field goal of the game as both teams went cold in the last minute, which is all the Jayhawks needed to clinch the win.