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Duke Basketball: Could UConn and Kansas be better destinations for Cooper Flagg?

By Tristan Freeman

Mar 16, 2023; Orlando, FL, USA; The Duke Blue Devils bench reacts during the second half against the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 16, 2023; Orlando, FL, USA; The Duke Blue Devils bench reacts during the second half against the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports /
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UConn Basketball
Connecticut Huskies head coach Dan Hurley Syndication Ocala Starbanner /

UConn Huskies

Pros

The one small selling point is that the native from Maine would be able to play as close to home as possible while still playing for a national contending program. And while the Huskies may not pass the “blue blood” test, they’re definitely one of the biggest names now, coming off winning the national title.

And the roster looks to be built to contend for a while going forward. Donovan Clingan, who was the backup to Adama Sanogo last season, could be even better and is a projected lottery pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Five-star guard Stephon Castle is a possible “one and done”. while the team already has a couple of top-100 commits in the 2024 class too.

Cons

From a roster standpoint, there is the question of what will UConn do with Alex Karaban. The forward flew under the radar as a freshman last season but was still highly impressive overall, shooting over 40% from deep. They could play him and Flagg together assuming Clingan does go pro but that would mean this five-star prospect would play more minutes at the five-spot instead of at the four.

Next. Top 25 team winners from offseason transfer portal. dark

And compared to Kansas and Duke Basketball, isn’t UConn just a really good second option? The program doesn’t have the same prestige as the Blue Devils and while he now has a national title on his resume, no one would have Dan Hurley ahead of Coach Self in coaching rankings. Unless playing close to home matters a lot, this could come down to Kansas vs Duke once again.

Should the Blue Devils be the heavy favorite in this recruitment?

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