NEW YORK — Duke’s Cooper Flagg was just 1 for 4 from the field when he was pulled with 10:21 left in the first half of Thursday’s Sweet 16 matchup against Arizona at Newark’s Prudential Center.

In a game of this magnitude, you knew it was only a matter of time before the freshman star got going. And when he checked back in with 7:51 left, his Blue Devils clinging to a three-point lead against a feisty Wildcats team that refused to go away, he went to work.

Flagg found his rhythm by working inside out, first converting a pair of tough layups around the basket before knocking down his second 3-pointer of the night, assisted by Sion James.

At that point Flagg was in the zone. The game slowed down around him. He was getting to his spots with ease. Duke’s offense was on autopilot. All his teammates had to do was step back and enjoy the show.

Flagg would miss his next attempt with 2:39 left in the half but closed with a pair of free throws and two straight buckets. He found Kon Knueppel behind the arc with 28 seconds left, which broke a 42-42 tie. His ridiculous transition 3-pointer from the top of the key sent the Blue Devils into halftime with a 48-42 lead — and gave Duke all the momentum it needed to pull away in the second half.

The projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft scored one bucket with 10:21 left in the first half. He went into the locker room with a game-high 18 points.

“I think it was a great rebound by Mason [Gillis], just getting the ball,” Flagg said. “We were going through a little struggle at the end of that first half coming up with the defensive rebounds. A huge rebound for him at the end of the half to close it out. He hit me on a run. Just went up and made a shot.”

The rest of the game was more of the same. Dominant offense. Superb defense. He kept finding open teammates, including two straight lobs to Khaman Maluach to start the second half. Never rushed. Never rattled.

Flagg ultimately hung 30 points, six rebounds, seven assists, one steal and three blocks on the Wildcats in a 100-93 win, helping Duke advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2022.

An argument can be made that Arizona’s Caleb Love was the best player on the court Thursday. He poured in a game-high 35 points with four rebounds and zero turnovers. But then you remember Love is 23 years old playing his fifth season of college basketball, while Flagg is just 18 — and won’t turn 19 until Dec. 21.

That’s what makes Flagg such a special talent. It’s why NBA teams, including the Nets, Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards and New Orleans Pelicans, have essentially thrown their seasons away just for a chance to land him. The kid is as good as advertised, if not better. And while he’s already highly polished at this stage in his career, what he’s showcased at the college level is just a taste of what’s to come.

Cam Johnson, Dariq Whitehead, Noah Clowney and multiple members of Brooklyn’s front office were in attendance.

“The thing that’s special — that was one of the best tournament performances I’ve ever coached or been a part of,” Duke head coach Jon Scheyer said of Flagg. “I’ve just wanted him to fully be him, and I thought he was that. He was in his element tonight. He was him. He had just a great personality. He was loose, talking, competitive, the whole thing. So yeah, he impresses me all the time.”

While Flagg rightfully commanded headlines, he wasn’t the only Duke standout on Thursday. Fellow freshman stars Knueppel and Maluach had themselves a night as well.

Knueppel, another projected lottery pick, finished with 20 points, four rebounds and three assists, showcasing elite shooting, an advanced feel for the game and an underrated knack for attacking the basket.

Maluach, a 7-2 center out of South Sudan who didn’t who reportedly didn’t pick up a basketball until 2021, added 13 points, six rebounds and four blocks, and showed flashes of evolving into a dominant force in the paint.

“I think I’m still developing,” Maluach said. “I think I still have a lot of stuff to learn. With time I’ll keep learning, and I do my best every day to try to learn new stuff and I feel like I’ll keep learning and getting better. … There’s sometimes a lot of pressure, but no matter what’s going on, I still try to enjoy every moment, live in the moment, and not think too far ahead.”

All three freshmen are destined to hear their names called early on June 25 at Barclays Center. While Flagg remains the ultimate prize, intriguing young prospects like Knueppel or Maluach would be a nice consolation prize.

However, the lottery is still weeks away from being set. Flagg, Knueppel and Maluach are still working toward a national championship appearance and have a talented Alabama team to worry about on Saturday. Brooklyn is currently projected to have four picks inside the Top 27 and would be fortunate to find themselves in position to draft any of them. But the Nets and Duke still have seasons to finish, and these freshmen are devoted to the task at hand.

“I think we’re a very focused team,” Knueppel. “We’re not looking ahead. So, that’s not something [Coach Scheyer] particularly gets on us about.”

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