The 2025 NBA draft class will feel the weight of Duke's most pivotal moments this season. Cooper Flagg's viral dunk and emotional displays set the tone for his emergence as a top draft prospect and national player of the year. Duke powered to the ACC championship, despite Flagg's ankle injury, and reached the Final Four, thanks to top talent and veteran depth.
The season ended with Duke's stunning collapse to Houston, sparking major "what ifs" for Flagg and his teammates. Freshman standouts, clutch tournament wins, and painful lessons now shape how scouts and teams view this class of Blue Devils.
Duke’s Cooper Flagg (2) celebrates with Khaman Maluach (9) and Kon Knueppel (7) after slamming in two during the second half of Duke’s 76-47 victory over Pitt at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C., Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. By Ethan Hyman
NO. 1: COOPER FLAGG ... ANGRY? ACC TEAMS WON’T LIKE THE DUKE BASKETBALL STAR WHEN HE’S ANGRY
Cooper Flagg rocked the Cameron Indoor Stadium rims with a pair of dunks that drew Zion Williamson comparisons from Duke coach Jon Scheyer. | Published January 8, 2025 | Read Full Story by Steve Wiseman
Duke’s Cooper Flagg (2) celebrates after slamming in two during the second half of Duke’s 86-78 victory over Notre Dame at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025.
NO. 2: VIRAL DUNK, RECORD OUTBURST FINALLY ELEVATE COOPER FLAGG AS COLLEGE HOOPS’ MAIN CHARACTER
Cooper Flagg, who arrived amid unusual hype and the hosannas of every NBA draft expert, was almost certainly going to end up as college basketball’s biggest star. It took a while to get here, but here we are. | Published January 15, 2025 | Read Full Story by Luke DeCock
Duke’s Cooper Flagg (2) celebrates after blocking the shot of Florida State’s Christian Nitu (11) during the second half of Duke’s 100-65 victory over Florida State at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C., Saturday, March 1, 2025. By Ethan Hyman
NO. 3: CLOSE CALL FOR COOPER FLAGG: 3 TAKEAWAYS FROM DUKE BASKETBALL’S WIN OVER FLORIDA STATE
Despite missing the final 11 minutes of the first half after being hit in the eye, Duke freshman Cooper Flagg scored 16 points as the Blue Devils pounded Florida State at Cameron Indoor Stadium. | Published March 2, 2025 | Read Full Story by Steve Wiseman
Duke’s Cooper Flagg (2) reacts after a dunk to give the Blue Devils’ an 82-67 lead against North Carolina on Saturday, March 8, 2025 at the Smith Center in Chapel Hill, N.C. By Robert Willett
NO. 4: THE 2025 ALL-ACC MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM IS SET, AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED. HERE’S WHO WON
No. 1-ranked Duke, after rolling to a 19-1 ACC regular-season record, earned plenty of recognition among the postseason superlatives. | Published March 10, 2025 | Read Full Story by Steve Wiseman
Duke’s Cooper Flagg grimaces in pain after rolling his ankle during the first half of Duke’s game against Georgia Tech in the quarterfinals of the 2025 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C., Thursday, March 13, 2025. By Ethan Hyman
NO. 5: COSTLY WIN: DUKE BASKETBALL OUTLASTS GEORGIA TECH IN INJURY-MARRED ACC TOURNAMENT OPENER
After trailing by as many as 14 in the first half, top-seeded Duke outlasted Georgia Tech, but the Blue Devils lost two key players to serious injuries in the process. | Published March 13, 2025 | Read Full Story by Luke DeCock
Duke’s head coach Jon Scheyer laughs with Cooper Flagg after Duke’s 85-65 victory over Alabama in their Elite 8 game in the 2025 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., Saturday, March 29, 2025. By Ethan Hyman
NO. 6: HOW DUKE BASKETBALL REACHING NCAA FINAL FOUR VALIDATES HEAD COACH JON SCHEYER’S PLAN
The Blue Devils’ trip to San Antonio, after Saturday’s 85-65 win over Alabama, was the product of years of planning to build around Cooper Flagg, and hard-learned lessons. | Published March 30, 2025 | Read Full Story by Luke DeCock
Ralph Flagg hugs his son, Cooper, after Duke’s 85-65 victory over Alabama in their Elite Eight game in the 2025 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., Saturday, March 29, 2025. By Ethan Hyman
NO. 7: ‘THE RIGHT TEAM. THE RIGHT COACH.’ WHY DUKE BASKETBALL HAS BEEN ALL COOPER FLAGG HOPED
Already an ACC champion, a consensus all-American and national player of the year, Cooper Flagg chases an NCAA championship before heading to NBA as the likely No. 1 pick | Published April 2, 2025 | Read Full Story by Steve Wiseman
Duke centers Khaman Maluach (9) and Neal Begovich (20) leave the court following the Blue Devils’ 70-67 loss to Houston on Saturday, April 5, 2025 in the NCAA national semi final game at the Alamodome in San Antonio, TX. By Robert Willett
NO. 8: DUKE BASKETBALL HAUNTED BY ‘WHAT IFS’ AFTER STUNNING COLLAPSE TO HOUSTON IN FINAL FOUR
Duke’s offense melted under Houston’s relentless pressure in the game’s final 10 minutes, and what looked like a sure trip to the NCAA title game was instead as painful a loss as there is. | Published April 6, 2025 | Read Full Story by Steve Wiseman
The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.