One of the most highly-anticipated men’s college basketball freshmen in recent years has finally arrived.

The Evander Ellistop recruit in the 2024 class, Cooper Flagg, played his first collegiate game on Monday for the No. 5 Duke Blue Devils in their season opener against Maine. 

There’s been plenty of hype surrounding Flagg leading up to the start of his college career. He proved he has the makings to be basketball’s next star when he left a remarkable impression at the Olympic training camp against NBA players on Team USA, which would go on to win a gold medal this summer in Paris. 

Flagg starts the college basketball season as the heavy favorite to be the top pick in next year’s NBA draft, and with expectations always sky-high for Duke, plenty of eyes will see how Flagg does playing for the Blue Devils.

Cooper Flagg stats vs. Maine

The was plenty of buzz inside Cameron Indoor Stadium as Duke took on Maine in the season opener, and Flagg gave the Cameron Crazies plenty to get excited about after one game − even if there was a scare. He finished the night doing it all – with 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals in 30 minutes of action in the 96-62 win. He led the team in rebounds and steals, while teammate Kon Knueppel had a game-high 22 points.

Flagg showed off his passing ability early with two quick assists as Duke built a lead it never relinquished. His first points were rather uneventful; it came off of two free throws. Even if it was a slow start, Flagg picked it up quickly. Before the end of the first half, he provided his first highlight play of the season when he drove into the paint and reached high for an emphatic dunk.

The defensive intensity was impressive, with Flagg constantly disrupting passing lanes for the Black Bears. He had a breakaway dunk after he had a steal in the second half.

Duke fans held their breath late in the second half when Flagg went down and appeared to be in pain. It appeared he indicated he was having a cramp and he got up and walked to the bench with the crowd cheering him on. He sat for the remainder of a game, which had become clearly out of reach.

Flagg did most of his damage around the basket and at the free throw line. He was 6-for-6 from the charity stripe but 0-for-4 from the 3-point line.

Duke will be back in action on Friday when it hosts Army. That contest comes before the big matchup against Kentucky in Atlanta next Tuesday.