73 days since Duke vs Houston Final Four clash, Cooper Flagg shares whether he "could have done something different" 

Cooper Flagg opened up about his final moments with Duke. The freshman phenom sat down with Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated to reflect on the Blue Devils' March Madness run coming to an end at the Final Four.

Flagg dominated in his sole college season, leading Duke in every major stat category. He helped guide his team to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but the Blue Devils' season didn't end how Flagg wanted.

Duke was up six points with 35 seconds remaining in a Final Four matchup against fellow No. 1 seed Houston. A 3-pointer for the Cougars, followed by a dunk, quickly cut that lead to one. Flagg was fouled on the next possession, and with two free throws, the Cougars took the lead.

The Blue Devils entrusted Flagg with the final shot. He pulled up from nine feet and missed off the front of the rim to end Duke's hopes of a national title.

NCAA Basketball: Final Four National Semifinal-Houston at Duke - Source: Imagn

Following the loss, Flagg kept his communication minimal, telling the media that it was an incredible season but that it didn't end well. Now, 73 days later, he's opened up to Sports Illustrated about that final shot.

“I’m not going to beat myself up over whether I could have taken one more dribble or whether I could have done something different,” Flagg said. “It was a tough shot, but I don’t think you’re going to get an easy shot in that opportunity. If you look at any game-winner at any level, I don’t think there’s a lot of wide-open [ones]. You get to a spot, you raise up, and you trust the work that you put in over time. I’m just going to live with what I trusted.”

Flagg has made peace with how it all ended and will now look ahead to the beginning of his NBA career.

NBA: Draft Combine - Source: Imagn

Cooper Flagg's phenomenal freshman season at Duke

Cooper Flagg established himself as a star in his sole season at Duke and is now the consensus No. 1 pick for the 2025 NBA draft.

Last season, Flagg led the Blue Devils, averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. The forward is a dominant two-way force and highlighted his defensive depth with 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game.

He thrived at grabbing defensive boards, with 6.2 of his 7.5 rpg being defensive. Flagg shot 48.1%, including 38.5% from beyond the arc.

NCAA Basketball: Final Four National Semifinal-Houston at Duke - Source: Imagn

Flagg racked up accolades at Duke. He received significant recognition at his conference and was named ACC Player of the Year and ACC Rookie of the Year. The freshman was also named to the All-ACC first team, ACC All-Defensive team and ACC All-Rookie team.

The forward's 12 ACC Rookie of the Week selections set a conference record, and he became the only player in ACC history to sweep the weekly awards five times in one season.

On a national level, Flagg was named a consensus first team All-American by Sporting News, AP, NABC and USBWA. He was awarded both National Freshman of the Year and Player of the Year.

Flagg's season at Duke may not have ended how he wanted, but it was impressive nonetheless.

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Edited by Krutik Jain