The No. 1 seed Duke Blue Devils are headed to the Sweet 16 after Sunday's 89-66 win over No. 9 Baylor. Cooper Flagg kept his foot on the gas in the lopsided win, finishing with 18 points, nine rebounds and six assists in 29 minutes of action as Duke booked its spot in the next round.
At this point, the Blue Devils need four more wins to bag the national championship, and if they are able to keep this impressive run going then they will have a good shot at securing the title since 2019.
Flagg, who suffered an eye injury against Baylor, will have a lot riding on this tournament as well considering how it will be his only chance to win a championship with Duke. The 6-foot-9 forward has already declared for the 2025 NBA Draft where he is expected to be selected as the first overall pick come June.
At this point, three NBA teams lead the race for Flagg. The 18-year-old is expected to be a franchise-altering pick, which is why teams from around the league are already bracing for Flagg's arrival.
According to Forbes' Evan Sidery, the three teams that currently have the best odds (14%) to win the NBA Draft Lottery are the Washington Wizards, the Utah Jazz and the Charlotte Hornets. Rounding out the top five are the New Orleans Pelicans (12.5%) and the Philadelphia 76ers (9.8%).
Current odds to land Cooper Flagg in the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery:
Wizards: 14%
Jazz: 14%
Hornets: 14%
Pelicans: 12.5%
Sixers: 9.8%
Nets: 9.7%
Raptors: 7.5%
Heat: 6%
Bulls: 4.5%
Spurs: 3%
Blazers: 2%
Rockets (via Suns): 1.5%
Kings: 0.5% pic.twitter.com/kcTWmJZgRg
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) March 24, 2025
It is worth noting that these odds are based on the teams' current standings in the league. As of writing, it's the Wizards who have the worst record in the NBA at 15-55, followed closely by the Jazz at 16-56. The Hornets, on the other hand, are at 18-53.
Per the Draft Lottery rules, the three teams with the worst record after the regular season will all have equal odds (14%) to secure the top pick in the draft.
For now, though, Flagg will be focused on what he can do to help Duke with their objectives this season. Their next test comes in the form of No. 4 Arizona in the Sweet 16 on Thursday night.
There is a lot of anticipation for that clash, which includes multiple NBA teams watching Flagg closely as he takes center stage.
Related: Cooper Flagg Shares Crucial Update on Eye Injury Heading Into Arizona Wildcats Game
Copyright 2025 Athlon Sports. All rights reserved.
This story was originally published March 24, 2025 at 6:23 PM.