Cooper Flagg slip-up reaction: Jon Scheyer speaks his mind on Duke star's incident that eventually cost them the Clemson game

Duke coach Jon Scheyer discussed the crucial play off a timeout that resulted in a Cooper Flagg turnover. The incident took place with 14 seconds remaining in the Duke-Clemson game on Saturday at the Littlejohn Coliseum. The Tigers went on a 7-0 run in the final 38 seconds to beat the No. 2 Blue Devils 77-71.

During a postgame presser, Scheyer was asked about his intention on the crucial play during a timeout where he allowed the 6-foot-9 guard to pound the ball inside and go for a quick basket and tie the game. However, Flagg slipped on a wet spot on the court, resulting in a traveling violation, which gave Clemson the ball.

Scheyer called for that play thinking the No. 1-ranked freshman in the Class of 2024 was imposing his will in the second half after scoring only four points in the first 20 minutes. He felt Flagg could work his way and be successful, as he had a mismatch advantage over his Clemson counterpart.

"Cooper was being Cooper," Scheyer said (2:13). "There, he just has a special will, and I thought he got the advantage downhill, and I'm taking that any day of the week."

Scheyer didn't regret the crucial miscue and said he would pounce on that situation again once another opportunity arose.

"There's a wet spot and sometimes that's how it goes," he said (2:25). "But he (Cooper Flagg) really made every play in the last couple minutes to will us and I want to get him downhill."

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Jon Scheyer mulls planning to revitalize Cooper Flagg's energy for crucial stages of the season

Duke coach Jon Scheyer admitted he's giving Cooper Flagg too much responsibility on the court. Including the game against Clemson, the 6-foot-9 phenom has played an average of 31.9 minutes per contest and tallied 19.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks.

Flagg encountered conditioning issues, especially leg cramps, in his first few games of the season. Scheyer is aware of this, and he's looking to take some burden off his shoulders to gain his second wind in time for the NCAA Tournament.

"We put so much on his shoulders. I have to help take some of that off because it's that time - we've got to get his body refreshed, reenergized," Scheyer said (3:49). "We've got to get him back. We know there's more there, and we have to help him recover."

Scheyer lamented that he could've used Purdue transfer Mason Gillis to give Flagg some breathers he could've used against Clemson. However, the 6-foot-6 player wasn't available for the second straight game due to illness. The forward is averaging 4.8 points and 2.5 rebounds per game this season.

Scheyer needs to figure out how to help Cooper Flagg carry over that energy in the stretch run if the Blue Devils aim to win their sixth national title and first after the Mike Krzyzewski era.