Cooper Flagg wasn’t even born the last time Duke dominated the Atlantic Coast Conference like it has this season.
Now a prized freshman for the second-ranked Blue Devils (19-2, 11-0 ACC), the 18-year-old will try to help Duke secure its first 12-0 start in conference play since 2005-06 when it visits Syracuse on Wednesday night.
Flagg already was regarded as the likely No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft when he joined the Blue Devils last fall, and the 6-foot-9 phenom has performed accordingly. He leads the ACC with an average of 23.3 points per game in conference play and ranks ninth in rebounding (7.3 per game) against league foes.
Overall this season, Flagg averages team-high numbers in five key categories: points (20.0), rebounds (8.0), assists (4.2), steals (1.5) and blocked shots (1.2).
Aside from being Duke’s go-to scorer, Flagg is an anchor for a Blue Devils defense that entered Tuesday ranked fifth in the nation in average points allowed (60.0) and sixth in opponent field-goal percentage (37.7).
Flagg boosted his steal and block averages Saturday when he tallied three thefts and two rejections in Duke’s 87-70 home win over archrival North Carolina in Durham, N.C.
Fellow freshman Kon Knueppel supplied two steals and a block as the Blue Devils forced 14 turnovers and deflected multiple passes to further disrupt the Tar Heels’ ball movement.
“I think it’s really difficult (to beat us) if we can deflect the ball that many times,” Knueppel said. “Our defense is always going to spark our offense, and that’s what we want to hang our hats on at that end of the floor.”
Knueppel averages 13.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, while Tyrese Proctor averages 10.7 points. Knueppel scored 22 points to lead Duke on Saturday, and Flagg added 21.
Duke will put the nation’s longest active winning streak — 15 games — against a Syracuse squad (10-12, 4-7) that snapped a three-game skid with a 75-66 win at Cal on Saturday. Lucas Taylor led the Orange with 19 points, while backcourt mate J.J. Starling added 18 and center Eddie Lampkin Jr. grabbed 10 rebounds.
Starling ranks ninth in the ACC with 16.7 points per game during conference play but has struggled lately. He shot 6 of 18 from the field against the Golden Bears after hitting just 3 of 16 attempts in a 70-61 loss at Stanford last Wednesday.
Starling still found other ways to contribute Saturday, dishing four assists without turning the ball over. He also grabbed five rebounds to complement Taylor’s seven, and Syracuse coach Adrian Autry said he wants to see more of that aggression on the glass moving forward.
“That’s the difference, when our guards rebound,” Autry said. ” … Our frontcourt has rebounded all year. We need to get our guards rebounding more.”
Syracuse’s plus-1.5 rebounding margin against ACC opponents ranks seventh out of 18 teams, but the Orange will face the ultimate test in the Blue Devils, whose plus-10.6 margin is more than five better than the next-closest squad (Louisville, plus-5.1).
Duke has defeated Syracuse nine straight times, including 86-66 in the teams’ lone meeting last season in Durham.
–Field Level Media
