Seth Curry Talks Duke's National Championship Odds, Cooper Flagg's NBA Future: ‘It’s Duke’ to Win March Madness

Cooper Flagg and the Duke Blue Devils enter the Sweet 16 as the betting favorites to win the national championship, and one Duke alum is buying them to get it done.

This week, I spoke to Charlotte Hornets guard Seth Curry for his partnership with Bush’s and their "Your Fam on a Can" campaign, and the former Duke star had a lot to say about this current iteration of the Blue Devils.

“I’m always keeping tabs on them, watching them whenever I get a chance,” Curry said. “They look good. They’re a real contender for sure. They look like an NBA team out there. They have a lot of size, talent from top to bottom. Even some guys that aren’t really in the rotation can go out there and help them out.

“So it’s just a matter of – obviously it’s a one-game elimination tournament – so it's a matter of showing up when it’s needed most. But, they’ve got as good a chance as anybody.”

So, are the Blue Devils the bet to win it all?

Heading into their Sweet 16 matchup with Arizona, where they are favored at FanDuel Sportsbook, Duke is +220 to win the national title.

Curry, who picked Duke in his brackets, is still riding with Flagg and company to get it done this March.

“It’s Duke!” Curry exclaimed. “That’s an easy one. I got two or three brackets – I filled out a couple of pools. And Duke is the champion in all of them. I like the pick.”

Flagg, the presumptive No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, could end up playing with Curry in the future. Right now, the Hornets are in the mix for the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and adding Flagg to a core that has LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Mark Williams, and others could vault the Hornets into contention for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

“He can do it all,” Curry said of Flagg. “He can literally – whatever you ask of him on a nightly basis, he can play point forward, he can score the ball, gets his teammates involved. Obviously, he’s doing it every night on the defensive end, but I think the biggest thing is just his competitiveness. His leadership has been good from what I’ve seen and just talking to some guys being around the program. He’s come in and not really acted like a freshman. He’s come in with that confidence that he’s the guy on campus, and he’s doing it every night.”

Even though Curry is buying Duke to win the national championship this season, he still has one of his own Duke teams as the greatest in the school’s history.

“We had some good teams,” Curry said. “We had a lot of pros on the teams I was on, too. We could match up with anybody. I was redshirting on that national championship team in 2010 with those guys – they were really good.

“I think our team that next year when Kyrie [Irving] came in, obviously Kyrie ended up getting hurt, but I felt like that’s the best Duke team of all time to me. We had Kyrie, Nolan [Smith], Kyle Singler, the Plumlees, myself, Andre Dawkins, we had some real talent. I’ve said this before, but I feel like if Kyrie didn’t get hurt, we would have run the table. We would’ve been one of those undefeated teams. I think that team is tough to beat.”

Curry played with a ton of eventual NBA players in his college career, including guards like Irving, Smith, Quinn Cook, and Austin Rivers. He shared that playing with guys of that caliber helped him come in and take his game to the next level each year to make sure he still had playing time.

The 11-year NBA veteran, who spent his freshman season at Liberty, transferred to Duke and played his final three seasons with the Blue Devils. But, the transfer rules are much different now, and he explained how different the decision to transfer was back during his collegiate career.

“I had to really think hard about transferring because I knew I was going to lose a year – or have to sit out a year,” Curry said. “I had to really figure out if it was worth it for me. Now, guys can transfer and roll right in. I feel like it was the best thing for me then.”

With players getting to enter the portal and transfer several times during their college careers, it’s a much different world than the one Curry was in.

“I was leaving for pure basketball reasons,” he said. “It was just about finding a place where I felt I would get better for my remaining college years. The system fit me, for what I felt comfortable at. Now guys do it for all different types of reasons and mainly – probably – just to get a larger payday.”

This March, Curry is partnering with Bush’s for their "Your Fam on a Can" campaign where fans can create a personalized can that commemorates their favorite family bean recipes.

“It’s a cool partnership with Bush’s,” Curry said. “Obvioulsy, Bush’s has their beans and their famous family recipe they’ve been doing for years. Me and my wife kind of have a recipe – especially around March now in the tournament where we’re watching a lot of games. My wife will whip up her special – we call it Curry Family Caviar… The fans can go to YourFamOnACan.com and get a can with their own name on it.”

I also was able to speak to Curry about this NBA season, what it’s meant for him to play at home and if he would want a potential 3-Point Contest return in the future.

Q: What’s it been like getting to play at home [Charlotte] in the NBA?

A: I’m getting to play for the organization my dad played for. It’s been a fun year for me. Growing up, me and my brother (Steph) would dream of being able to wear this Hornets 30 jersey, just like our dad. For me to be able to do it, it’s special.

Q: You’re one of the few vets on this Charlotte team, can you talk about what this season has been like for you and what you’ve learned?

A: It’s been – honestly a learning experience for me. I knew coming in that we had a young team. Honestly, I felt like we could have had a chance to make the playoffs if it weren’t for some of the wild injuries we had all year. It’s been good to be around the guys, still get out there and try to play and set the tone and lead by example in my habits on and off the floor. It’s been good to pick their brain, kinda help them out a little bit as we try to rebuild this thing and get back to where I think this franchise should get to.

Q: Do we think there is a Seth Curry return to the 3-Point Contest in the future?

A: I would love to. I was in one a few years ago, kinda got my feet wet. It’s a different experience. If I were to get back in another one, I feel like I would do a little bit better. It’s one of those things – especially in my family – it’s one of those things you want to get and you want to hold that trophy. I would love to, but you never know. We’ll see what happens.

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