When you walk through the hallways of Madison Square Garden, there are pictures of Muhammad Ali, Patrick Ewing, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen and countless other icons in sports and entertainment.
On Saturday night, Cooper Flagg will step into the aura of MSG and get the opportunity to make his mark. The future first overall pick in this June’s NBA Draft leads his No. 3-ranked Duke Blue Devils into the SentinelOne Classic against Illinois at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.
The Blue Devils, who are 23-3 on the year and have lost just once since Nov. 26, 2024, were guided by Flagg’s 17 points, 14 rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals earlier this week in an 80-62 win at Virginia. That’s par for the course for the 6-foot-9 Flagg, who’s now averaging 19.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks per game. No freshman in college basketball history has led his team in every major statistical category and played in the NCAA Tournament. Flagg is tracking to do exactly that and could end up doing much more than just appearing on the Big Dance floor.
To stuff the stat sheet like that while shooting 49% from the floor and 37% from downtown means that whichever team possesses the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft is getting a player who is the total package. The fact that Flagg is only 18 years old and was supposed to be a member of next year’s freshman class makes what he’s doing that much more eye-popping.
“I just think he’s a lock to be an elite No. 2 option in the NBA with upside for him to be a No. 1,” one NBA scout told FOX Sports. “With Cooper, it feels like a guarantee that he will contribute to a winning team in the NBA.”
What makes Flagg outstanding is his feel and instincts for the game, along with his ability to make so many winning plays on both ends of the floor. He makes the extraordinary look much more ordinary than it should. With a wingspan of over 7 feet, he has the ability to explode to the basket on the offensive end and alter shots on the defensive end. He’s the most gifted defensive prospect we’ve seen at the top of the draft in several years and should join Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis and Zion Williamson as the only freshmen to win National Player of the Year honors.
[Read more: What are the 10 best men’s college basketball seasons by a freshman?]
The growth of Flagg’s game as a scorer and playmaker has been special to watch, but equally important is his maturity and unselfishness. After playing with USA Basketball in training camp as a member of the Select Team ahead of the Paris Olympics this past summer, the spotlight was never brighter on Flagg. He handled it with ease, and the pros noticed.
“To be able to do what he did, not even playing a college game, let alone an NBA game, there’s no fear,” Select Team forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. of the Miami Heat said. “It’s relentless, and the thing that you can tell about him is that he just has a knack and the will to win. He doesn’t need the ball. He just finds a way to it. And the ball finds its way to him. That’s something that you can’t teach. He’s just got a great feel for the game.”
Duke head coach Jon Scheyer doubled down on Jaquez’s comments, emphasizing Flagg’s ability to lead and always pick his teammates up.
“The most impressive thing to me is the fact that he’s the same way every day,” Scheyer told The Field of 68 earlier this week. “His approach. He’s competitive. He has energy. He’s as loud as anybody in the gym. It just picks everything up.
“Lots of times as a coach, you’re talking about the energy of a practice or [saying], ‘We need to pick it up.’ That hasn’t happened this year. Cooper’s not the only reason, but being the best player, he’s a huge reason why that’s the case. He just has a unique feel for how to pick others up and rise to the occasion. He’s done an incredible job doing both of those things.”
It will be fascinating to see Flagg under the bright lights on Saturday against an Illinois team that has hit a roadblock in its season, dropping back-to-back games and now sitting at 9-8 in the Big Ten. As much as this game looks like tough timing for the Fighting Illini, perhaps it’s the type of stage that Brad Underwood’s team needs to get out of their funk.
What makes this matchup so intriguing is that there’s another top-five draft prospect playing in Kasparas Jakucionis, the 6-foot-6 guard from Lithuania who’s averaging 15.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. His creativity and length as a versatile guard has made him a riser in this draft class. The Garden will see a season-high number of scouts on Saturday.
[Read more: 2025 NBA Draft No. 1 pick odds: Dyland Harper gaining ground on Cooper Flagg]
Beyond basketball, Flagg’s story is something that goes beyond the norm for a top prospect. It’s well-documented, but I don’t think the fact that he’s from Newport, Maine can be overstated. The small-town story and humble beginnings of the son of a Maine great, his mom Kelly, along with his father Ralph, who played at Eastern Maine Community College, give him this added dimension of being relatable. His twin brother Ace is off to Maine.
The reason why there was a Maine United team at the 2023 Peach Jam — a legendary Nike EYBL tournament held in Georgia — and the only reason why there ever will be is Flagg, who set the gym in Atlanta on fire with his play.
With a shoe deal with New Balance, an underdog brand in the normally Nike-driven world of basketball sneakers, Flagg showed the world that he was carving his own path.
Alongside Tyrese Proctor and fellow freshman Kon Knueppel, Flagg and the Blue Devils have a real chance to show the world this April in San Antonio that Duke is back on top and that 37-year-old Jon Scheyer was in fact the perfect fit to take over for Mike Krzyzewski.
[Read more: Duke’s new king: Jon Scheyer’s journey to one of basketball’s biggest jobs]
For now, it’s the bright lights of MSG on Saturday night.
“He’s generational,” Wake Forest head coach Steve Forbes said earlier this year when describing Flagg. “I’ve coached against some great players in my career. He’d be one of them. I’ve got a list of Kevin Durant or Derrick Rose or Kawhi Leonard. Flagg is on that level.”
One NBA scout said it best when I asked what we should expect on Saturday: “Cooper Flagg lives for the moment. Have your popcorn ready.”
John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him at @John_Fanta.
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