Cooper Flagg has not gotten nearly enough credit, NCAA analyst makes bold claim

Cooper Flagg has performed at a high level for the Duke Blue Devils throughout the first half of the 2024-25 college basketball season. However, one basketball analyst believes that he hasn't received enough praise.

Jeff Goodman appeared on an episode of the Field of 68: After Dark show uploaded to YouTube on Sunday. He thought about the attention the Duke freshman had garnered so far, believing it to have underperformed the expectations of what he should have gotten.

"I don't think Cooper Flagg has gotten nearly enough credit for what he's done this year. I really don't. I think I expected this to be like the Cooper Flagg, you know, season, right? Like, I remember when I was working at ESPN, you'd have a meeting in the preseason. It'd be like, 'all right, what are we going to latch on to this year? What's going to sell ratings this year?'" Goodman said.

"And this year, it was easy, right? The white kid at Duke, the freshman, it's gonna be the number one pick. Like, it doesn't get any easier than that. And I really don't feel like that narrative has been pushed nearly as much as I thought it would be, and this kid has over delivered."

Cooper Flagg, Duke get new ranking in AP Top 25

Duke has surged with eight consecutive wins, thanks to Cooper Flagg's performances, which have raised their place in the AP Top 25.

The Associated Press updated their rankings on Monday, showing the Blue Devils to remain at the fourth spot. They trail behind undefeated Tennessee, Auburn, and Iowa State.

With a 12-2 record, Duke averages 80.3 points on 47.4% shooting from the field and 35.9% from beyond the arc. Limiting opponents to 59.2 points on shooting splits of 36.1% overall and 28.9% from downtown, they are winning by a convincing margin of 21.1 points per game.

Cooper Flagg leads the way with 17.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game. Kon Knueppel puts up 12.4 points and 3.4 rebounds, and Tyrese Proctor provides 11.6 points while having the most three-pointers made with 35 and counting.

The No. 4 Blue Devils will host their next matchup against Pittsburgh at the Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina, on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET.