“18-19 without a doubt”, “2024 not recency bias”: College hoops fans take their pick between Cooper Flagg and Zion Williamson’s Duke teams

Duke has had plenty of talented squads over the years. The current talented team, led by Cooper Flagg, has drawn many comparisons to the 2018-19 Zion Williamson era.

The Blue Devils are in the conversation of competing for a national championship this year. Aside from Flagg, they have Kon Knueppel, Tyrese Proctor, and Khaman Maluach to highlight their talent as a high-quality squad.

Williamson's star-studded roster included him, RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish. Despite losing to Michigan State in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, their talent was undeniable. All three players went on to be selected in the top 10 of the 2019 NBA Draft.

The Bleacher Report posted a carousel of pictures comparing Cooper Flagg and Zion Williamson on Instagram. They asked fans to name their favorite in a hypothetical matchup between the two Duke stars' teams.

"Two of the most loaded teams in recent Duke history. Which squad would win this matchup??" the post caption read.

Fans in the comments gave missed answered as they noted key strengths and weaknesses of the two Blue Devils teams.

"18-19 without a doubt," one fan wrote.

Fan reacts to Duke comparisons on social media. (Instagram/@br_hoops)

"2024 not recency bias, 2019 had 0 bench 0 shooting and was very inconsistent defensively. Cooper in his last 10 games has been better than Zion was (this does not mean he will finish with a better season) but right now I think they are on equal ground.

"2019 almost lost to two very mid teams in the ncaat we got extremely lucky against ucf and Virginia Tech," one fan wrote.

Fan reacts to Cooper Flagg and Zion's comparisons on social media. (Instagram/@br_hoops)

"Im a UNC fan and 2019 is killing this years Duke team. Cmon now lol," one fan wrote.

Fan reacts to Duke comparisons on social media. (Instagram/@br_hoops)

Here are a few more fan reactions.

"24-25 team wins. More experienced team all around and they are deeper off the bench. Not to mention this years team has a true center. Only thing the 18-19 team has that the 24-25 team doesn't have is Coach K," one fan explained.

Fan reacts to Duke comparisons on social media. (Instagram/@br_hoops)

"18-19 not even one of the best Duke teams in recent memory. Really horrible shooting and not much depth," a fan said.

Fan reacts to Duke comparisons on social media. (Instagram/@br_hoops)

"Is this a joke it's clearly that 18-19 team. 3 of them went 1, 3, and 10 in the draft," one fan wrote.

Fan reacts to Duke comparisons on social media. (Instagram/@br_hoops)

What's next for Cooper Flagg and the Duke Ble Devils

Cooper Flagg's performances through the 2024-25 campaign have been key to Duke's huge momentum as they progress in conference play.

Flagg is averaging 19.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.2 blocks after 18 games. He is shooting 48.8% from the field, including 34.8% from beyond the arc.

This has allowed Duke to have a 16-2 overall record, featuring a perfect 8-0 form in conference play. They are producing 81.3 points on shooting splits of 48.5% overall and 37.5% from downtown, beating opponents by a convincing margin of 21.8 points per game.

Cooper Flagg and the No. 2 Blue Devils have two more games to wrap up January, facing the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. EST and the NC State Wolfpack on Monday at 8:30 p.m. EST.