Maine’s Cooper Flagg Helps Duke Reach Sweet 16, Arizona the Next Challenge

Two games down, two more to go to reach the Final Four.

That's where Maine's own Cooper Flagg and the Duke Blue Devils find themselves right now—a position that only 16 teams can claim.

The Duke Blue Devils Men's Basketball Team Has Reached the Sweet 16

The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament has been exciting so far, especially if you're following Cooper and the Blue Devils. Duke has obliterated its competition, winning by a combined 67 points in its first two games. I’d say that’s pretty dominant.

More importantly, Cooper has shown that he is well past the ankle injury that sidelined him during the ACC Tournament. The freshman sensation scored 14 points, added 7 rebounds, and recorded 4 assists against Mount Saint Mary's in Duke's First Round game. He then increased his performance to 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists in Duke's Second Round rout of Baylor. This included playing 29 minutes and showing no signs of struggle.

Duke now prepares to take on Arizona in the Sweet 16 on Thursday, March 27, with an approximate tip-off at 9:39 p.m.

Cooper Flagg's Continues to Add to His Incredible Freshman Year at Duke

This has been an exceptional year so far for the Blue Devils, who enter the Sweet 16 with a 33-3 record, which includes an ACC Tournament championship.

A lot of that has to do with Flagg, who has been quite the leader on the floor for Duke. At the time of publishing this article, the Newport native leads the team in points (18.7 per game), rebounds (7.5), assists (4.2), blocks (1.3), and steals (1.4). That is simply unheard of. It's one thing to lead in a few of the major categories, but in all of them? That's some serious baller status.

On top of that, Flagg's incredible play was recently recognized by the ACC with a plethora of awards and accolades. Let's take a closer look.

ACC Player of the Year
ACC Rookie of the Year
ACC All First Team 
ACC All Defensive Team

However, it’s truly been a total team effort, especially lately, for Duke. The rest of the Blue Devils played exceptionally well in winning the ACC Tournament and haven’t slowed down at all since.

Cooper has also been an All-Star off the floor. He and his brother, Maine basketball commit Ace, are the faces of the "In Flagg We Trust" brand. The clothing line is available through Double Play Collectibles in partnership with Expose Design, two wonderful Maine companies.

For every "In Flagg We Trust" product sold, $5 goes directly to the Ronald McDonald House in Portland, on behalf of the Flagg family. It's just another amazing thing that Flagg is a part of, and another example of Mainers helping Mainers.

You can get more information here.

Duke Faces a Very Good Arizona Team in the Sweet 16

The matchup against Arizona should be a good one. The Wildcats are currently playing at a high level and should give Duke a tough battle. However, the Blue Devils are the prohibitive favorite. The winner will face off against the winner of Alabama and BYU in the Elite 8 on Saturday.

READ MORE: Maine Wins Historic Hockey East Title, NCAA Tournament Next

Here’s wishing Cooper and his Blue Devils the best of luck in the Sweet 16 and beyond. This team is certainly one of the heavy favorites moving forward.