Fans sympathize with Cooper Flagg as Duke exits March Madness in Final Four: "Poor kid's got the whole world on his shoulders"
Fans reacted as Cooper Flagg-led Duke Blue Devils fell short in the Final Four round of March Madness in a heartbreaking 70-67 defeat to the Houston Cougars on Saturday at Alamodome in Texas.
Cooper Flagg had a sensational outing against Houston, but it wasn't enough to propel his team to the National Championship game. Following the defeat, March Madness shared a video of Flagg, who left his all on the court.
"Poor kids got the whole world on his shoulders ... doing this at 18 deserves its own award," a fan reacted.
"Brutal loss. Flagg played a good game," another college hoops fan wrote.
"Cant go out that way man. Wasn't supposed to end this way," a netizen shared.
"Good run Cooper . Keep your head up," one fan shared.
"NBA first pick here we go. Hell of a year," another said.
"More fuel to the fire. Great ones learn from moments like this," one hoops fan wrote.
Cooper Flagg is the projected No. 1 pick in the NBA draft
The defeat to the Houston Cougars could be the final time Cooper Flagg turned up for Duke, as he's expected to enter the 2025 NBA Draft. He's also the projected No. 1 pick.
However, his fantastic freshman year saw a very controversial end. With 20 seconds left on the clock, Flagg was whistled for a foul call while he was trying to secure a rebound following a free throw. While his move was adjudged as a foul, replays showed that he didn't make much contact.
Even the CBS Broadcast team criticized the call as the Blue Devils faded away, with Flagg's fantastic freshman year coming to an end because of a controversial call.
However, the 18-year-old was nothing short of phenomenal for Duke throughout the year. The freshman was named the AP Men's College Basketball Player of the Year for his exceptional performances, becoming the fourth freshman to win the award in its 64-year history.
Flagg finished the season averaging 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. He shot 48.3%, going 37.4% from beyond the arc.