Duke star freshman Cooper Flagg pushed aside any lingering concerns about his sprained ankle by scoring 14 points in 22 minutes as the Blue Devils hammered Mount St. Mary’s on Friday.

As soon as the 2023-24 Duke basketball campaign ended, Tyrese Proctor and Jon Scheyer set out to cut nets together this time of year.

Also a common sight this season, a freshmen led the way in the scoring department, as Kon Knueppel finished with 21 points. Fellow rookie sensation Cooper Flagg tallied 16 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and one block en route to becoming the East Regional Most Outstanding Player.

Cooper Flagg and Duke basketball are playing Alabama in the Elite Eight of March Madness. Follow live score updates.

The Blue Devils’ trip to San Antonio, after Saturday’s 85-65 win over Alabama, was the product of years of planning to build around Cooper Flagg, and hard-learned lessons.

To perhaps no surprise, Duke's star guard comes from a family of basketball players, as both of his parents were former basketball players in their younger days. His dad, also named Kon Knueppel, played at Wisconsin Lutheran College in Wisconsin and scored more than 2,000 career points for the Warriors.

Duke women's basketball is in the Elite Eight for the 12th time. Have the Blue Devils ever won a national championship?

Two of the most explosive teams in the men's NCAA Tournament faced off, with Cooper Flagg and Duke beating Alabama. Highlights and scores: