"No regrets": Cooper Flagg gets candid on NCAA March Madness run with Duke

The 2025 Naismith Men's National Player of the Year Cooper Flaag acknowledged that he could have achieved more with Duke this season, but he is still satisfied with everything that happened this season.

Flagg and Duke missed out on the NCAA title this year after they lost their semifinal clash to Houston. The Blue Devils were the overwhelming favourite to win it all going into their semifinal matchup against the Cougars. However, they suffered a shock loss in dramatic fashion.

Duke appeared to be in control as the team was up by 14 points with less than nine minutes to play. But Houston stayed in the game, with the Cougars going on a 10-0 run to reduce the deficit before going on to win the game 70-67.

It was indeed a disappointing way to end a season that had so much promise for Flagg and his Duke colleagues. However, despite the stunning defeat, Flagg has no regrets.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, Flagg said he cannot dwell on the defeat because it was still a good season for them.

“It was an incredible year and an incredible journey with a lot of great, great people. I made a lot of really good relationships that I’ll have for the rest of my life,” Flagg said.

“Obviously, it didn’t end the way we wanted, but it was an incredible journey. It was an incredible ride with that team.

Flagg did acknowledge that they wanted more but insists it is time to move on and take the lessons from the defeat.

“I have no regrets about anything. I wish we could’ve gotten it done. But it was an incredible year,” Flagg continued.

“There are lessons in everything, both with the successes and shortcomings, the losses and the wins. I just have to move forward and take things that I learned and move forward,” Flagg added.

What next for Cooper Flagg?

Although Flagg is ready to move forward, it remains to be seen what his next move will be. The 6-foot-9 basketball star is projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NBA draft but has not revealed if he would be entering the draft.

Given that this is Flagg’s first season in college, there have been speculations that the Maine native may decide to run it back with Duke next year.

However, the lure of the NBA is likely to sway his decision. Flagg is in no rush to make a decision, though, as he has spoken about wanting to take his time to recover from a long season.