The No. 2 Duke Blue Devils were trailing 37-33 at halftime, and had looked a bit out sorts against rival NC State at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham on Monday night.
Just two days after a big win over Wake Forest, the Blue Devils looked hesitant offensively against the Wolfpack - a team that reached the Final Four a year ago but has looked anything but a tournament team through the first 19 games of the season entering Monday night.
Duke head coach Jon Scheyer didn't like what he was seeing late in the first half, and had some words for freshman star Cooper Flagg during a timeout.
"He told me I was being finesse, soft," Flagg said after the game. "Coach is always honest with me about what he thinks. That's what I need. It's about responding well, and hearing that helps me a lot."
Flag scored 23 of his game-high 28 points in the second half to power the Blue Devils past the Wolfpack 74-64 to improve to 18-2 and 10-0 in ACC play. Duke outscored NC State by 14 in the second half thanks largely to the play of Flagg and fellow freshman phenom Kon Knueppel, who added 19 points of his own.
"It's not a choice anymore," Flagg said during postgame media availability. "I have to be aggressive. What Coach has told me is that's going to create for everyone else. In the first half, I felt that a little more - just being passive and playing soft. I can't create for anyone else that way. I can't get anyone else open if I'm playing soft. For me, it's no longer a choice of it I want to be aggressive or not. I have to be aggressive at all times."
Flagg is likely to be the top pick in the NBA draft later this year, and his play on both ends of the floor is a big reason why. When he's aggressive he's awfully tough to contain, and Scheyer and Co. at Duke want to harness that with their one-and-done star for the rest of the season.
The Blue Devils welcome the North Carolina Tar Heels to Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday night.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Cooper Flagg Had Honest Take About His ‘Soft’ Play Early In Duke’s Win Over NC State.
