Duke’s Cooper Flagg drives to the basket during a game at Boston College. Derek Davis/Portland Press Heral
Cooper Flagg and the Duke men’s basketball team finally ran into an opponent they didn’t have an answer for: a spot near the baseline on the Littlejohn Coliseum floor.
Flagg’s slip while driving toward the basket curtailed Duke’s comeback chances against Clemson on Saturday, and set the stage for a 77-71 defeat that ended the Blue Devils’ winning streak at 16 games. It also cost then-No. 2 Duke a chance to rise to the No. 1 ranking in the country, following Auburn’s loss to Florida earlier that day.
The Newport native and the Blue Devils will look to rebound this week against the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Pacific coast contingent, California and Stanford.
Last week
After an 83-54 victory over Syracuse, during which Flagg scored 11 points with five rebounds, Duke took on Clemson in a matchup of the ACC’s top teams. Initially, the Tigers had Flagg bottled up, as the freshman had five points while Clemson led 59-54.
With his team on upset watch, Flagg found a rhythm. He scored 13 of Duke’s next 17 points, capping it with a 3-pointer that put the Blue Devils ahead 71-70 with 58 seconds to go.
Clemson regained the lead at 73-71, and with 18 seconds left Duke put the ball in Flagg’s hands, only to see it end disastrously four seconds later when Flagg slipped on a wet spot on his way to the basket and fell for a travel, all but sealing the Clemson victory.
Flagg, who battled cramping issues down the stretch, finished with 18 points, five rebounds and three steals.
“There were wet spots all over the court. It was so humid in there, the floor was really holding the water,” he said. “So there probably was a little wet spot. Just unfortunate. At the end of the day, just got to make a play.”
The week ahead
Tuesday
Opponent: vs. California
Time: 9 p.m.
TV: ACC Network
Noteworthy: California (12-12, 5-8) joined the ACC this season after playing in the Pac-12. Andrej Stojakovic (17.9 points per game) and Jeremiah Wilkinson (13.8) are the Golden Bears’ leading scorers.
Saturday
Opponent: vs. Stanford
Time: 4 p.m.
TV: ABC
Noteworthy: Stanford, which has made the NCAA tournament 17 times but hasn’t reached the dance since 2014, also joined the ACC this year. The Cardinal (16-8, 8-5) are led by Maxime Raynaud, who has averaged a double-double with 20.4 points and 11.7 rebounds per contest.
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