Skip Bayless makes bold prediction for Duke as Cooper Flagg and co. thrash Alabama

Cooper Flagg had a below average performance by his lofty standards on Saturday against Alabama. In the Elite Eight of March Madness, top-seeded Duke defeated two-seed Crimson Tide 85-65 at Prudential Center in New Jersey.

Despite Flagg's relatively low output of 16 points, Duke managed to dominate Alabama by a comfortable margin of 20 points.

Former ESPN analyst Skip Bayless took to X (formerly Twitter) after the game to express his astonishment at Duke's victory.

"Man ... Cooper Flagg didn't play all that well by his player-of-the-year, first-pick standards ... and Duke beat a scary hot Alabama by 20. By 20! 85-65! Bama managed only 65! Nobody's beating this team," Bayless tweeted.

Jon Scheyer has transformed the Blue Devils into a formidable force in just his third season in charge after replacing legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski. The Final Four on Apr. 5 will be Duke's first appearance under Scheyer and their second in ten years.

Bayless has previously made similar comments about Flagg and Duke ahead of their opening-round game against Mount St. Mary's.

"Duke is going to win the National Championship. My logic is simply this: Cooper Flagg is going to be a better NBA player than Carmelo Anthony was. So Flagg is about to be by far the best player in this tournament," Bayless wrote on X.

Bayless is not wrong in his prediction, as Duke is the major favorite to win March Madness, according to ESPN BET, who have the Blue Devils at +120 to win it all this year.

Jon Scheyer discusses team's strategy for managing Cooper Flagg's shooting dip

Duke coach Jon Scheyer was not concerned about Cooper Flagg's shooting struggles against Alabama on Saturday. The Maine native went 6-for-16 from the field and 1-for-2 from deep, with his team still coming out on top.

Scheyer addressed the situation after the game, crediting other Duke players for stepping up and making a difference.

"Well, I think for us, we have multiple weapons and different teams play us different ways. So depending on matchups, depending on the coverages we’re seeing, for me, I feel very confident.

"Obviously there’s a three-headed monster with Cooper, Kon and Tyrese. Sion is such a connector, Khaman is such a connector for us, as well."

Scheyer added that Flagg often gets the opposition's best defender on him, which opens up space for his teammates. He also said that having four players on the court whom he can trust is an "incredible luxury."

Duke will play the winner between Houston and Tennessee in the Final Four next week.