Duke’s Cooper Flagg was named the John R. Wooden National Player of the Year on Saturday, adding to a list of NPOY honors from major outlets.
The freshman forward was announced as the winner just hours before his Blue Devils were scheduled to face Houston in the Final Four. USC’s JuJu Watkins was named the Wooden Award winner in women’s college basketball.
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Flagg was previously named National Player of the Year by the Associated Press, the National Association of Basketball coaches (NABC) and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA).
Flagg arrived at Duke with enormous expectations that he managed to surpass as he’s led the Blue Devils on a quest for the program’s sixth national championship. Behind Flagg’s on-court leadership, Duke rolled to the ACC regular season championship with a 19-1 record in conference play. The Blue Devils went on to win the ACC tournament title and clinch a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
Will Cooper Flagg follow up his awards collection with an NCAA title? (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
(Patrick Smith via Getty Images)
In 36 games prior to the Final Four, Flagg has averaged 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 48.3% from the field and 37.4% from 3-point distance. He leads Duke in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks.
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Duke enters the Final Four as the favorite to win the national championship. It leads the nation in scoring margin (21.1 points per game) and ranks first in KenPom’s College Basketball rating. It’s No. 1 in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency and fifth in adjusted defensive efficiency.
The Blue Devils have been dominant, thanks largely to Flagg’s contributions on the court. Flagg is widely expected to join the NBA next season as the presumptive No. 1 pick in the draft.
But first, Flagg will look to cement his college legacy with an NCAA championship. If Duke gets past Houston, it will face the winner between Florida and Auburn for the national championship from a Final Four that features all No. 1 seeds.
