By Brian Murphy, WRAL

Durham, N.C. — Duke star freshman Cooper Flagg is still finding ways to impress — even his own coach.

The leading candidate for ACC player of the year and likely No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, Flagg showcased his entire game in the second half Monday night in leading the second-ranked Blue Devils to a hard-fought 74-64 victory over NC State.

“Coop, he’s a special guy,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said.

Flagg scored 23 second-half points as Duke (18-2) ralled from a 13-point first-half decfit to win its 14th consecutive game and remain undefeated in ACC play. At 10-0, the Blue Devils are halfway to an undefeated conference season.

He scored from a variety of spots, carried the offense, added some nifty passing and a topped it off with a memorable block in leading Duke to its 14th consecutive win.

“Cooper is as good as advertised,” NC State coach Kevin Keatts said.

NC State (9-11, 2-7 in the ACC) upset Duke twice in the postseason last year — in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals and again in the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight to earn a spot in the Final Four.

And for a while it appeared as if the Wolfpack, on a four-game losing streak to enter the game, might pull it off again.

Flagg, who played 39 minutes in Duke’s victory Saturday at Wake Forest, was limited to five points in the first half. NC State played physical with him.

“I was very soft, finese in the first half, as coach would say,” Flagg said. “I felt like that led to most of our first-half troubles. With just me being really soft and it’s hard to initiate the offense if I’m not being strong with the ball.”

NC State led by as many as 13 in the first half.

“At halftime, he just got angry,” Scheyer said. “He had a chip. And sometimes when you do that, you forget about being tired. He had some all-time plays in Cameron just to will us back. That’s a credit to his spirit and what he did in the second half.”

Said Flagg: “It’s no longer a choice for if I want to be aggressive or not. I have to be aggressive at all times and be in attack mode to help my teammates get open.”

NC State led 37-26 with 1:53 remaining in the first half, but the Blue Devils scored the final seven points of the half and the first 12 of the second half — a 19-0 run to take the lead for good. Much of it was keyed by its defense and Flagg.

“He’s passing, he’s rebounding, he’s blocking,” Scheyer said. “That’s the thing, to me, that nobody else in the country does. You can look at stats up on the screen, but his blocks, rebounds, timely plays, to me, is what makes him the best.”

The Wolfpack hung around all night behind strong offensive performances from Dontrez Styles (18 points before fouling out) and Trey Parker (15 points).

NC State pulled within one point twice in the second half, including with 4:40 remaining on a three-point play by Marcus Hill. But Duke went to a zone defense that stymied the NC State offense, and Duke pulled away in the final minutes.

Duke ended the game on an 11-2 run.

Flagg finished with 28 points, six rebounds, three assists and a block for Duke. Earlier in the day he was named ACC Freshamn of the Week for the eighth time this season. He’s also been the league’s player of the week a league-high three times.

“When things got really tight for Duke, everybody in the entire building knew who they were going to go to,” Keatts said, contrasting it with his squad who lacks a go-to star. “… We don’t have that guy right now.”

Freshman guard Kon Knueppel added 19 points and six rebounds, while Sion James scored 13 points for Duke.

NC State is in danger of missing the ACC Tournament. In the new 18-team ACC, the top 15 teams make the conference tournament. NC State is tied for 15th with Virginia.

Duke freshman center Khaman Maluach (team-high eight rebounds) vomited on the court during play with 4:21 remaining in the second half. There was a lengthy delay as the court was cleaned. Maluach did not return to the game.

Scheyer said Maluach was cramping and drank too many liquids to try to get back in the game.

Source: wralsportsfan.com