Cooper Flagg Excites CBB Fans in Duke Debut as Kon Knueppel, Blue Devils Beat Maine

Cooper Flagg and the No. 7 Duke Blue Devils men’s basketball team started the 2024-25 campaign with a win.

Duke defeated the Maine Black Bears 96-62 in Monday’s season-opening showdown at Cameron Indoor Stadium. All eyes were on the freshman, and he opened his highly anticipated season with 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals while helping lead his team to a straightforward victory.

He wasn’t the only one who played well, as Kon Knueppel spearheaded the scoring efforts with 22 points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal.

But it was Flagg who drew the most reaction on social media, especially after he threw down quite the dunk:

The game was a blowout as expected, but it was still the first chance for college basketball and NBA fans to see Flagg in action. The No. 1 overall recruit in the class of 2024, per 247Sports’ composite rankings, is one of the most-hyped freshmen in years and will be appointment viewing every time he takes the court.

Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman projected Flagg as the No. 1 overall pick in his latest mock draft, noting that the 17-year-old “has been considered one of the bigger prizes of the decade.”

His presence is a major reason expectations are once again so high for the powerhouse Blue Devils after they reached the Elite Eight last season, and Monday’s game was an opportunity to set the tone against an overmatched opponent.

Yet it was Knueppel who did just that by pouring in 15 points in the first half alone, four of which came on a four-point play when he was fouled beyond the arc. With Maine focusing plenty of defensive attention on Flagg, he was able to take advantage of open looks and anchor the offense for stretches.

Flagg certainly had his moments in the first half as well, including when he unleashed the monster tomahawk jam to fire up the crowd. He followed that with an assist on a Sion James three and a reverse layup to push the lead to 11 by intermission.

The game was never in doubt, and Duke wasted no time pulling away in the second half with Flagg doing a little bit of everything. Even when he wasn’t the team’s go-to scorer, he was facilitating, battling for boards and playing lockdown defense as the best two-way player on the floor.

It is a formula that should lead to plenty of wins in what figures to be his only collegiate season, especially if Knueppel proves to be the scoring threat he was Monday. Maine had no answers for the two freshmen, and it isn’t difficult to envision them leading the Blue Devils to plenty of success.

They will look to continue the early momentum Friday when they face Army.