Cooper Flagg stats today: How did Duke forward fare vs Arizona Wildcats in March Madness Sweet 16? (Mar. 27)

Cooper Flagg posted his second-highest scoring game in Duke's 100-93 Sweet-16 win over Arizona at Prudential Center in New Jersey on Thursday. The 6-foot-9 forward scored 30 points on 9-for-19 shooting alongside seven assists, six rebounds, three blocks and one steal in 37 minutes.

Flagg had a slow start, shooting just 1-for-5 from the field in the first 12 minutes of the contest. However, behind consistent contributions of Tyrese Proctor, Kon Knueppel and Sion James, the Blue Devils gripped the momentum. The forward then quickly found a rhythm, making back-to-back layups in over a minute.

As the Wildcats made it a one-point game, Flagg went on to score 11 points in the last five minutes on 4-for-5 shooting, including a buzzer-beater 3 to enter halftime.

Cooper Flagg opened the second half aggressively, getting to the charity stripe in the second minute and then took on the role of playmaker. He impacted 13 of the next 11 points by getting his teammates open.

Even though Flagg scored eight points in the last 13 minutes of the game, he impacted Duke's win with constant inside presence and attacking the basket. He swatted three shots and solidified five trips to the free-throw line.

"He's made for these moments, he's not afraid at all and the thing that is incredible about him, John, is the fact he's fully about winning," Duke coach Jon Scheyer said postgame via CBB insider John Fanta.

"He doesn't care about the stats that you're gonna talk about and then he moves on like that's what he's supposed to do. And that to me is what's so special about, in addition to all the shots he made," he added.

---

What's next for Cooper Flagg and Duke?

Cooper Flagg and Duke now enter the Elite Eight. They will face Alabama next at Prudential Center on Saturday. The Crimson Tide defeated the BYU Cougars in another 100-point outing (113-88) hours before the Blue Devils' win. Bama made history in the contest, sinking 25 triples – the most in NCAA tournament history.

The quest for the Final Four will be an interesting matchup as the Roll Tide thrives on an up-tempo and fast offense, which contrasts with Jon Scheyer's balanced and controlled pace.