Cooper Flagg and the Blue Devils defeated Alabama 85-65 in Saturday night's regional final action to earn a trip to the Final Four in San Antonio. Duke last made it to the national championship game when Tyus Jones and the Blue Devils won it all in 2015.

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.

The No. 1 seed Duke Blue Devils are coming off an impressive victory in the Sweet 16 against the No. 4 seed Arizona Wildcats, where freshman Cooper Flagg dominated, scoring a team-high 30 points, while adding seven assists,

The 2024-25 Duke Blue Devils continue to be one of the more talented freshmen-led teams in some time, advancing to the Final Four with a win over second-seeded

But it was Duke who led all the way and won 85-65 to advance to the Final Four. Player of the Year candidate Cooper Flagg wasn’t at his best but was close to getting a double-double. Alabama’s season ends with a 28-9 overall record as they fell one win short of making the Final Four for the second consecutive season.

The No. 2 seed Alabama Crimson Tide (28-8) and the No. 1 seed Duke Blue Devils (34-3) will meet on Saturday in the NCAA Tournament Elite 8.

Flagg has 30 points, six rebounds and seven assists and the top-seeded Blue Devils hold off an onslaught from Wildcats star Caleb Love (35 points) in a 100-93 win to reach the East Regional final.

Duke freshman Cooper Flagg was labeled the next great college basketball player before the 2024-25 season even started. Although there was a ton of pressure on him, he has lived up to the hype. Flagg put Duke on his back during the Sweet 16,

Duke star freshman Cooper Flagg — who missed the last two games of the ACC tournament with a sprained left ankle — is officially active for the No. 1 Blue Devils’ NCAA Tournament opener against No. 16 Mount St. Mary’s on Friday, the program confirmed shortly before its first media availability of the tournament Thursday.