The case for Cooper Flagg as college basketball's player of the year

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.

It may have taken 31 games, but we finally found something that can slow down Cooper Flagg: A healthy whistle.

And a deserved one, at that.

Because for the first time this season, against rival North Carolina on Saturday, Flagg was called for three first-half personal fouls the latter two being offensive, including a blatant charge against standstill UNC forward JaeLyn Withers for his third.

That sent Flagg to the pine for the final 3:18 of the first half ...

at which point UNC promptly rattled off a 10-2 run, which dropped a double-digit margin down to one measly point at the break.

Advertisement We ran out of a little bit of gas at the end of the first half there without Cooper, Duke coach Jon Scheyer said.

We were buying as much time as possible, and we have good confidence with the guys who were in, but ...

weve got to make sure he only has two fouls going into the half.

Obviously.

Heres the thing, though: Those three first-half fouls only slowed Flagg down.

But as for their material impact on the game, one Duke eventually won 82-69? Nada.

Zip.

If anything, that foul trouble just meant that Flagg had to cram a games worth of production into 20 second-half minutes.

So ...

he did.

Ho hum .

In the latest evidence of why Flagg Dukes freshman superstar, and the expected No.

1 pick in this summers NBA Draft should win NCAA basketballs Player of the Year award, consider the final stat line from his down game against the Tar Heels: 15 points, nine rebounds, six assists, four blocks and one made 3-pointer.

When Coopers aggressive like that, Duke guard Sion James said, theres no one in the country that can do anything with him.

Per Stathead, hes now only the fourth Division-I player in the last 15 seasons to post a line like that in under 30 minutes.

And thats one of his bad games? For me its Cooper, Scheyer said when asked postgame about Flaggs NPOY chances.

Thats not knocking anybody I mean, we played (Auburn big Johni) Broome, hes a great player but Cooper, the way he impacts every aspect of the game, I dont think weve seen in college for a long time.

Lets build out the argument, then, shall we? Flagg entered Saturday as KenPoms clear favorite to win the award, and leading Duke to its 19th ACC win and the outright conference title did little to shift those odds.

Thats because Flagg isnt just KenPoms clear favorite to take home the trophy; he currently has the highest KenPom Player of the Year rating ever in the analytics sites history, which dates back to 2011.

That surpasses the likes of Russ Smith in 2013, Frank Kaminsky in 2015, and even Zach Edey last season.

And as if Flagg needed further analytical support, hes also EvanMiyas top-ranked player this season.

Advertisement Beyond that, Flagg is on pace to be the first freshman in Division-I history to lead his team in every major statistical category points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks and to the Big Dance.

(Ben Simmons had the stats at LSU, but no postseason appearance to show for them.) Earlier this season, Flagg became the only 17-year-old in NCAA history to have multiple 20-point double-doubles in a season, and despite turning 18 in December, hes still regularly rewriting record books as the second-youngest player in the sport this season.

His 42 points against Notre Dame in January were an ACC single-game freshman record, not to mention the 15th-most by any freshman in the last 20 seasons.

(Among the other freshman greats in Flaggs company are Simmons, Trae Young and Malik Monk.) But winning player of the year, which only three freshmen Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis and Zion Williamson have ever done, is about more than just excellence at a young age.

Its about overall effectiveness.

And Flagg checks that box, too, as unequivocally the best player on the best team in college basketball, one poised to ascend to No.

1 after Auburns two losses this week.

The 6-foot-9 wing leads the nation in win shares per 40 minutes and box plus/minus, while also being second in defensive win shares and fifth in offensive win shares all of which surpass his primary competition, Broome.

About that comparison: Now, has Broome played in a tougher conference? Without question.

The SEC is conceivably the best high-major league weve ever seen, on pace to break the all-time single-season bids record from one conference.

The ACC, on the other hand, is ...

not.

Instead, its on pace to earn its fewest NCAA Tournament invites (3) since 1999.

Have Flaggs numbers been inflated somewhat by the ACCs overall, uh, quality? Absolutely.

Advertisement But its foolish to punish Flagg for beating up on the teams on Dukes schedule or to ignore his excellence in the teams marquee matchups.

In Dukes four top-25 matchups this season against Kentucky, Kansas, Arizona and Auburn Flagg averaged 21.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.3 steals per game.

If only we had some way to compare Flagg and Broome head to head, mano a mano ...

Oh, whats this? Did they play in early December? Well, surely Flagg struggled against the sort of elite competition the SEC provides, right? Or ...

he had one of the best games of his season: 22 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, three steals, two blocks and no turnovers.

Broome was also good 20 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, one block and three turnovers but he fouled out.

And his team lost.

Shouldnt that also count for something in this conversation? Theres a good chance hes going to be player of the year, UNC coach Hubert Davis said.

I mean, hes an elite player.

Maybe the scariest thing of all about Flagg? Hes still getting better.

Consider his and Broomes numbers over their last five contests before Saturdays rivalry games: Flagg: 19.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.4 steals, 1.2 blocks, 41.7 percent from 3 and 90.9 percent FT.

Broome: 17.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, .8 blocks, .6 steals, 20 percent from 3 and 66.7 percent FT.

Broomes got the glass ...

and Flaggs got everything else.

In any other season, either Flagg or Broome would be the easy, hands-down choice for player of the year.

And make no mistake: both are undoubtedly deserving.

But in a direct comparison, the choice is easy.

No comparison, really.

Its the younger, more productive, history-making star who the NBA sees as a borderline generational prospect the one who regularly draws comparisons to Anthony Davis, Durant and even Victor Wembanyama.

All due respect to the former three-star recruit who has more than maximized his talent, but five years into his college career, Broome should be productive.

Advertisement What Flaggs doing, though? Its one of one.

And it deserves to be recognized accordingly.

Thats not what Cooper plays for.

Thats not what we play for, Scheyer said.

But obviously, recognition, you always appreciate.

(Photo of Cooper Flagg reacting after a dunk against the Tar Heels: Jared C.

Tilton / Getty Images).

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