Image Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

“His Presence Makes Everybody Better”- Dick Vitale Has High Praise for Duke Sensation Cooper Flagg

Dick Vitale heaped praises on Cooper Flagg ahead of the March Madness-Sweet 16 clash against Arizona.

Image Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The No. 1 seeded Duke Blue Devils recorded a 100-93 win over the Arizona Wildcats in the Sweet 16 round of ongoing March Madness. The game saw their young sensation Cooper Flagg leading the team with 30 points, six rebounds, three blocks, and seven assists, helping them reach the Elite Eight.

ESPN’s Dick Vitale found the perfect words to describe the basketball prodigy- “His presence makes everybody better.” The former broadcaster appeared on The Pat McAfee Show, where he heaped high praise on Flagg and called him the “best player in the land”.

The veteran said, “The kid when you talk about certainly, he is so special. He makes those things happen because his presence creates space for guys like Proctor to get free to shoot the three.”

Vitale also talked about the Blue Devils, who are heavy favorites to be the National Champions. Vitale thinks Duke has the right mix of talent and balance and pointed out that they are a top-five team in both offense and defense.

The 85-year-old, who is the latest recipient of the Dean Smith Award, said, “They are the top five in the nation, offensively and defensively. When you are stellar in both those areas, you have got a chance to win.”

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Cooper Flagg Adjudged USBWA National Player of the Year

As the March Madness is approaching its final stages, the No. 1 seeded Duke Blue Devils took to social media to make an announcement about their freshman marvel, Cooper Flagg. The 18-year-old has been adjudged the USBWA Player of the Year, winning the 2024-25 Oscar Robertson Trophy.

🚨 GOT THE NPOTY ON OUR SQUAD 🚨

🏆 @Cooper_Flagg 💪🗣️👀💪👏😈 pic.twitter.com/bS59S3ZUSI
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 26, 2025

With this award, he became the fourth player to win both the coveted trophy and the Wayman Tisdale Award in the same season. The other three players are Zion Williamson, Anthony Davis, and Kevin Durant.

Also Read: TOP 2025 NBA Draft Prospects featuring in March Madness This Year

Flagg wreaked havoc in his freshman season with Duke University. He delivered multiple record-breaking performances to help the Blue Devils win the ACC Regular Season title. Projected as one of the top NBA drafts, Cooper is averaging 19 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.4 steals in his freshman season.

He continued his dream run in the March Madness. Flagg recorded 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists in the First Round 93-49 win over the Mount St Mary’s Mountaineers. In the Second Round 89-66 win over the Baylor Bears, he came up with 18 points, nine rebounds and six assists. With his stats in the Sweet 16 Round, he became the first NCAA Division I player of this century to record such a stat line in regulation time during a college game.

Flagg will next take the court for Duke in their Elite Eight game against the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday.

2025 March Madness

Cooper Flagg

Dick Vitale

Duke Blue Devils

Garima Ranawat

Garima is a sports writer with around two years of experience in Indian sports and a newfound interest in the NBA. Inspired by the leadership of cricketing legend MS Dhoni, she wishes to bring in newer perspectives to the NBA fanatics with her writing.