Watch: Duke's Flagg beats first-half buzzer with dagger three-pointer

Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) reacts after making a last-second shot to end the first half against the Arizona Wildcats during an East Regional semifinal of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Prudential Center. Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

Watch: Duke's Cooper Flagg beats first-half buzzer with dagger three-pointer

By Austen Bundy | Last updated Mar 27, 2025 11:29 PM ET

In the Sweet 16, when you have momentum you've got to capitalize.

No. 1-seeded Duke did just that at the end of the first half of the team's East Regional semifinal against No. 4-seeded Arizona.

Freshman phenom Cooper Flagg drove down the floor with less than five seconds remaining, pulled up ahead of the three-point arc and drained a bucket to extend the Blue Devils' lead over the Wildcats to six heading into the half.

COOPER FLAGG BEATS THE HALFTIME BUZZER #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/hOvI6cow4B
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 28, 2025

Flagg entered halftime leading all scorers with 18 points and four rebounds. He scored 15 of Duke's final 24 points in the first half, per the CBS broadcast.

The 18-year-old is widely projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and his resume after just one year in college proves it.

Flagg broke the ACC's freshman game scoring record (42 points) and is the favorite to win the John Wooden Award, given to the sport's most outstanding player. He's also the first ACC player in the past 25 years to record at least 500 points, 100 assists and 30 blocks in a season.

If Duke defeats Arizona, it would advance to the Elite Eight for the second consecutive year.

Austen Bundy

Austen Bundy is a journalist and sports junkie from the Washington, D. C. area

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