Cameras Caught Cooper Flagg's Emotional Moment With Parents After Duke Win Over Alabama

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Duke became the second team to earn a Final Four spot in the men's 2025 NCAA tournament on Saturday night. The Blue Devils defeated No. 2 Alabama, 85-65, to advance past the Elite Eight for the first time since Coach K put his clipboard away.
Freshman standout Cooper Flagg was a bit quieter than he was earlier in the week, posting 16 points and nine rebounds. But he was still a large part of his team's win and celebrated accordingly afterwards, getting a chance to cut down the nets as a freshman. Cameras also caught Flagg's emotional embrace with his parents after securing a Final Four spot.
This moment between Cooper Flagg and his parents after the Blue Devils clinched a #MFinalFour berth 💙#MarchMadness @DukeMBB pic.twitter.com/uGhvbYVRI4
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 30, 2025
Nothing quite like a big hug from mom and pops after a big accomplishment. And even if the job isn't done this is indeed a big accomplishment. Not every uber-talented freshman at Duke gets to go to the Final Four. Zion Williamson didn't. Jayson Tatum didn't. But Flagg will.
A cool moment for the young man, and Duke now looks forward to the Final Four in San Antonio.
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Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.
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