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Charles Barkley Reveals Cooper Flagg Prediction Before NCAA Tournament

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Parker Johnson | Last updated Mar 19, 2025 8:30 AM ET

The Duke Blue Devils and the Auburn Tigers have been the frontrunners in men's college basketball all season, and they both received No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament to show for it.

In the days leading up to March Madness, both teams' leading stars, Duke's Cooper Flagg and Auburn's Johni Broome, have earned individual honors as well.

Flagg was named ACC Player of the Year, while Broome was named SEC Player of the Year. Both players earned AP All-America First-Team nods and were named among the 10 semifinalists for the prestigious Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year award.

TNT basketball analyst and former Auburn star Charles Barkley was asked to choose between Flagg and Broome, and his prediction for Player of the Year went against his alma mater.

"I think that Cooper’s probably gonna win it," Barkley said in an interview with "Straight Out The Jungle," an Auburn-based podcast from the Field of 68 Network.

"I would love to see Johni win it," Barkley admitted, "but I think Cooper Flagg’s got to be the leader in the clubhouse because of how dominant Duke has been.”

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Both players put up dominant individual numbers amid their teams' overall success. They scored an identical 18.9 points per game, with Broome holding an advantage in rebounding numbers (10.6 to 7.5) and Flagg putting up more assists (4.1 to 3.1).

They both ranked inside the top 10 in the NCAA for PER and win shares, per College Basketball Reference.

Barkley added that Auburn and Duke are "under the most pressure to get to the Final Four," underlining the spotlight that will be on the two national standouts.

Flagg vs Broome is legitimately so tough to decide. Whoever doesn’t get picked feels like they were cheated. I have been debating it all year and still can’t say one with 100% confidence.
— HS Top Recruits (@HSTopRecruiting) March 8, 2025

Flagg's health is a question mark heading into the NCAA Tournament after suffering an ankle injury that cause him to miss Duke's final two games of the ACC Tournament. Head coach Jon Scheyer said the goal is to have Flagg ready for Duke's first game on Friday against the winner of No. 16 American and No. 16 Mount St. Mary's.

Broome will get the first chance to make his case for the Naismith Trophy in the postseason when Auburn takes on No. 16 Alabama State on Thursday.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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