Houston ready to build Top D against Cooper Flagg, Duke

San Antonio – you want to advance to Monday national title game, Houston will have to beat Dukefavorite to win the NCAA championship and Cooper FlaggRecently appointed Associated Press Player of the Year, Saturday.

But Cougars, the best defensive team in the country, believes they have a game plan to slow down Flagg down.

“We just know we have to protect,” Joseph TuglerA large 12 defensive player of the year, who average 5.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks this season, said on Friday. “He’s their stellar player. He wants a score of the ball. We have to stop him. Stop him first. We have to take his first shot and make him passers -by. Take him out of the game.”

J’wan RobertsThe All-Big 12 defensive team and the selection of the first All-Big 12 team, agreed with his teammate and said that Cougars had to make Flagg on Saturday “unpleasant” through his physical style of defense.

The same style was reduced by Tennessee to 15 points in the first half of their elite eight matches with Houston on Sunday, the lowest sum in one half for top-two seed in the history of the NCAA tournament.

“No one likes to deal with physicality, especially when you play a basketball game,” Roberts said. “You want to be able to get a perfect firing. You want to do everything smoothly, but if someone is in your airspace, you are not as comfortable as you would be (normally). If you have a team like us, who boasts defense and limits teams to one shot for most of the time, it’s hard to get to the edge of the game, especially compared to the team.”

During the NCAA tournament, Flagg was comfortable. He average 19.5 points per game, while joining 42% of his shots behind the arch and 87% of his free throw attempts. He also average 7.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks.

Defense of the projected selection No. 1 in the NBA 2025 proposal will require team efforts, Tugler said. He added that Houston’s goal against any team is to frustrate the opponent by getting three stops in a row. Cougars calls this “killing” chain. To get to this place against Duke, Cougars know they will have to challenge flagg.

“We have to take our right hand, get him to go on his move,” Tugler said. “We have to make him earn his shot and work for it. We have to make it difficult and help, help each other.”

On Friday it was clear that Cougars understood a monumental task before the first year’s talent, which is probably the best player in America. Although they admire Flagg and a set of skills that led to many Postseason awards, they said they were ready to play the same basketball brand that has helped the team to go 30-1 since November 30.

“He’s a great player,” Milos Saan said. “We have great respect for him. But at the end of the day we go out there and we will compete. I feel like we will do anything to win the victory.”