Arizona HC hails Duke phenom Cooper Flagg before Sweet 16 game: "Playing hard is easy for him" 

Cooper Flagg and the top-seeded Duke Blue Devils will look to book their place in the Elite Eight on Thursday night when they take on the No. 4 Arizona Wildcats in their Sweet 16 clash at Prudential Center. Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd praised Flagg in Wednesday's interview with sports reporter John Fanta ahead of their March Madness showdown.

Fanta asked Lloyd what he sees with Flagg when watching the Duke star. Lloyd got to spend some time with the teen phenom this past summer when he was at the USA Basketball Training Camp for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Flagg was part of the Select Team during that time.

"He’s just so impactful,” Lloyd said. “He’s a guy that impacts the game in every moment on both ends of the floor, whether he has the ball or doesn’t have the ball. It’s just a rare trait for a young player and it comes so naturally for him.

“That’s the amazing thing. Playing hard is easy for him. Impacting the game is easy for him. Making plays for himself is easy for him. Making plays for others is easy for him. You just don’t see that in college basketball very often so that’s probably why he won’t be around for that long," he added.

How Cooper Flagg's Duke and Tommy Lloyd's Arizona reached the Sweet 16

The Duke Blue Devils advanced to the Sweet 16 of the 2025 NCAA Tournament after beating Mount St. Mary's and Baylor in the first two rounds, respectively. Cooper Flagg showed no signs of the ankle injury that sidelined him during the ACC Tournament, averaging 16.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.5 blocks in the wins over the Mountaineers and Bears.

Cooper Flagg (#2) of the Duke Blue Devils dribbles the ball while being guarded by Norchad Omier #15 of the Baylor Bears in the second round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lenovo Center on March 23, 2025 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Photo: Getty

Tommy Lloyd and the Arizona Wildcats, on the other hand, booked their place in the Sweet 16 after defeating Akron and Oregon in the first two rounds, respectively. Jaden Bradley led Arizona to a 93-65 victory over Akron in their round-of-64 clash, scoring 19 points on 8-for-13 shooting.

Caleb Love took over for the Wildcats in their second-round win over the Ducks, scoring 29 points and grabbing nine rebounds in the 87-83 victory. Love shot 10-for-18 from the floor and a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.