DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Duke's Cooper Flagg knows what's coming from older and stronger defenders. So too does Auburn coach Bruce Pearl when it comes to the pressure facing his frontcourt star, Johni Broome.
On Wednesday night, the two preseason Associated Press All-Americans headlined a heavyweight matchup worthy of March, though from very different positions: Flagg as the 17-year-old touted freshman mentioned as a possible No. 1 overall NBA draft pick long before showing up on campus, Broome as the 22-year-old fifth-year senior who started his career at a mid-major.
Yet they're each shouldering the burden of top billing on a team with national title aspirations, all on display as the ninth-ranked Blue Devils beat the second-ranked Tigers 84-78 in the ACC/SEC Challenge.
The 6-foot-9, 205-pound Flagg finished with a game-high 22 points and 11 rebounds with four assists, three steals and two blocks. The 6-10 240-pound Broome had 20 points, 12 rebounds and three assists before fouling out late. They didn't match up directly, but remained the gravitational force at the center of everything — from offensive plans to collapsing defenses — all the same.
For Flagg, it was sign of big-game growth after late stumbles in losses to Kentucky and Kansas, along with handling the physical play of the Tigers.
“That’s something I’m going to start to see more and more,” Flagg said. "It’s definitely going to be a game plan for the other team, just to try and be physical with me. I think that’s something that I’ve been dealing with since I was in sixth, seventh grade. People look at me and think they can just out-tough me, be more physical with me, and it would take me out the game.
“But I’ve just got to keep playing through it, keep learning how to use that against them and just keep getting better.”
He did that against the veteran-laden Tigers, scoring 16 points and drawing seven fouls while getting to the line nine times after halftime. He felt several of those, too, such as Chaney Johnson's off-ball bump that knocked him to the hardwood midway through the second half and left him wincing.
“I told him all week: ‘They’re going at you the whole time,'” junior teammate Tyrese Proctor said. “They had a couple of dirty plays. I just told him to keep his head composed and poised and just trust himself.”
Flagg pushed through regardless and showed some of his smooth moves, particularly in the second half. A dribble drive into the lane for a fallaway jumper over 6-11 big man Dylan Cardwell; pouncing on a defensive switch to drive and easily score over 6-4 guard Denver Jones; a spinning drop-step score in the paint while being fouled, leaving Pearl staring at officials and pointing to the Tigers' end of the court about an earlier no-call.
Flagg also had no turnovers in his 37 minutes, a reversal after losing late turnovers in the losses to the Wildcats and Jayhawks.
“To be able to coach him, he never fights you," Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. "He just never fights you. In a game, you can get on him. In practice he's always wanting to get better and in every aspect of his game.
"I've always felt like Cooper's a one-time guy. He needs to experience something one time to get adjusted.”
As for Broome, he was coming off a dominating run through the Maui Invitational that made him the AP men's college basketball national player of the week Tuesday. Auburn also jumped two spots in Monday's latest AP Top 25, erasing nearly all of top-ranked Kansas' previous margin on the No. 2-ranked team. And that made the Tigers just the second top-2 nonconference team to play in Cameron Indoor Stadium since 1965 and first since top-ranked Michigan’s “Fab Five” lost here December 1992 — exactly 32 years ago Thursday.
Broome, who played his first two college seasons at Morehead State, offered matchup concerns with his ability to handle the ball on the perimeter, alter shots and attack the glass. And he was unbothered by the hostility of Duke's famously rambunctious “Cameron Crazies” fans, staring at them through much of pregame warmups with a grin and even laughing multiple times.
He didn't shoot well early (2 for 9 in the first half) but started thriving in the pick-and-roll after halftime with Duke's defense stretched by Auburn's 3-point shooters. He nearly had a double-double in the second half (15 points, nine rebounds), including when he finished at the rim through Mason Gillis' foul and knocked Gillis to the ground — then gave him a lengthy stare as he stood over him.
Broome led the Tigers until fouling out with 15 seconds left with Blue Devils fans starting to chant “Our house! Our house!” to mark another home win in their famed arena.
He never flinched, even in the face of Auburn's first loss.
“I think he's handled (the pressure) really well,” Pearl said. “One of the reasons our team has played well so far this year is Johni's been a tremendously consistent player. Clearly a (national) player of the year candidate. If our team continues to win, he's our best player. ... He's able to do it on both ends, and he's able to do it inside and out.”
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