Duke’s Cooper Flagg (2) misses a dunk ahead of Seattle’s Viktor Rajkovi (21) during the second half of a Nov. 29 game in Durham, N.C. Ben McKeown/Associated Press

Newport, Maine native Cooper Flagg and the Duke men’s basketball team had an eventful week, dueling No. 1 Kansas in a down-to-the-wire contest that ended with a 75-72 loss, and then defeating Seattle University, 70-48.

The challenges won’t stop, with Auburn (No. 2 in the AP Top 25) and Louisville up next. Here’s a look back and what lies ahead for Flagg and the Blue Devils:

Last week

A trip to Las Vegas for the Vegas Showdown ended in frustrating fashion. Duke climbed out of a 57-48 hole to take a 67-65 lead over the undefeated Jayhawks with just under six minutes to go, then stumbled down the stretch.

Flagg scored 13 points to go with five rebounds, three assists and a steal, and gave the Blue Devils a lead with a dunk with 5:53 remaining. He also had a layup with 2:29 left that tied the score at 71, but similar to the Kentucky loss earlier, made mistakes at the finish. Flagg missed a free throw with a chance to tie the score with 1:38 to play, then had a turnover with Duke down 73-72 with 48 seconds to go.

“You want the ball in your best players’ hands. (Freshman) Kon (Knueppel) and Cooper made so many plays throughout the second half,” Duke Coach Jon Scheyer said. “We’re asking a lot of 17-, 18- and 19-year-olds. We are. That’s what they want.”

Duke rolled later in the week to beat Seattle, with Flagg scoring nine points with nine rebounds and seven assists in 27 minutes.

The week ahead

Wednesday
Opponent: No. 4 Auburn
Time: 9:15 p.m.
TV: ESPN

Noteworthy: It’s another nationally televised game, with Duke at home against the 7-0 Tigers. Auburn already has three victories against top-25 teams, taking down Houston (74-69), Iowa State (83-81) and North Carolina (85-72), who were ranked No. 4, No. 5 and No. 12 at the time. They also won the Maui Invitational with a victory over Memphis.

Auburn’s top players include Johni Broome (20.7 points, 12.9 rebounds per game), Chad Baker-Mazara (12.6 points) and Denver Jones (11.1 points).

Duke is 3-0 all-time against Auburn. The teams last met in the 2018 Maui Invitational.

Sunday, Dec. 8
Opponent: at Louisville
Time: 6 p.m.
TV: ACC Network

Noteworthy: One of the country’s traditionally stronger programs, Louisville has scuffled in recent years, not making the NCAA tournament since 2019. But the Cardinals have had a solid 5-2 start, including an 89-61 victory over then-No. 14 Indiana as their most impressive win.

Chucky Hepburn (14.6 points), Reyne Smith (13.1) and Kasean Pryor (12.0) have been Louisville’s top scorers. This will be the start of Duke’s in-conference schedule.