Notre Dame Duke Basketball

Duke’s Cooper Flagg (2) reacts after a dunk during the second half of a game against Notre Dame on Saturday in Durham, N.C. Ben McKeown/Associated Press

Cooper Flagg had already been turning heads in his freshman season with the Duke men’s basketball team. Last week he hit a new level.

Flagg set an Atlantic Coast Conference freshman record for points in a game in a victory over Notre Dame, one of the two wins for the Blue Devils (14-2, 6-0 in the ACC) last week.

Duke’s season continues this week with a pair of ACC games — including a showdown with Boston College that will be the Newport native’s first trip to New England with the Blue Devils.

Last week

Flagg made headlines in an 86-78 victory over Notre Dame on Saturday, scoring 42 points to set an ACC record for points in a game by a freshman. It broke the record of 41 set by Olivier Hanlan of Boston College in 2013.

Flagg went 11 of 14 from the field, including 4 of 6 from the 3-point line, and made 16 of 17 free throws. He also grabbed six rebounds and dished out seven assists.

Flagg knew he was on his way to a dominant scoring night.

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“I mean, it says it up on the big (scoreboard), so I see it the whole time, but it doesn’t really affect me either way,” he said. “I kind of knew the whole time but I was just out there playing. When I’m in the game, I don’t really know what’s going on. I’m just playing locked in.”

Flagg’s output was the best by a Duke player since Danny Ferry scored 58 against Miami in 1988.

“It’s an incredible thing to hear for me,” he said. “There have been so many incredible players to come through here as freshmen one-and-dones to go to the (NBA). Just to know that (the performance today) breaks that is really special.”

Coach Jon Scheyer said Flagg’s versatility helped lead him to the big game.

“He didn’t hesitate to shoot, and he ended up hitting,” Scheyer said. “I thought the last couple of weeks, he’s been really decisive. He hasn’t played with the ball as much, and his passing is off the charts.”

In Duke’s first game of the week,  a 76-47 win over Pittsburgh, Flagg scored 19 points with 10 rebounds and five assists.

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The week ahead

Tuesday
Opponent: Miami
Time: 9 p.m.
TV: ESPN

Noteworthy: The Hurricanes have sputtered since reaching the Final Four in 2023. Miami (4-12 overall, 0-5 in the ACC) has lost five straight and 12 of its last 13.

Matthew Cleveland has been Miami’s top scorer throughout the season with 13.5 points per game. Nijel Pack has only played nine games but has averaged 13.9 points.

Saturday
Opponent: at Boston College
Time: 8 p.m.
TV: ESPN

Noteworthy: This will be the closest Flagg comes to playing in his home state this season. The Eagles are above .500 at 9-7 but carry a 1-4 mark in conference. Boston College hasn’t yet played a Top-25 team.

Donald Hand Jr. is BC’s top scorer, averaging 14.7 points per game, and also leads in rebounding at 7.4 per contest. Chad Venning (12.6) and Elijah Strong (10.6) have also averaged double figures in scoring.

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