Cooper Flagg’s popularity in men’s basketball could compare to Caitlin Clark’s in women’s, college coach says

Cooper Flagg could revitalize men's college basketball if he decides for pass on the NBA Draft, Illinois coach Brad Underwood says

Cooper Flagg recently admitted that he may actually stay at Duke, despite being the projected No. 1 pick in this year's NBA Draft.

Well, if he were to do that, he could put men's college basketball back on the map, one college coach believes.

The 2024 March Madness tournament was the first time the women outrated the men, largely in part to Caitlin Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes making another run to the women's NCAA title game. 

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Cooper Flagg and Caitlin Clark (AP Newsroom/IMAGN)

Yet as far as the men's game goes, with NIL, transfers, and one-and-dones, it's easy to see why the men's game hasn't stuck with viewers.

But that could change if Flagg stayed in Durham, Illinois coach Brad Underwood said. 

"If he stayed in school, he would be the face of college basketball and elevate basketball to the levels Caitlin Clark did on the female side," Underwood said on OutKick's "Don't @ Me" with Dan Dakich. "I don’t know him as a young man, but everything I have heard has been what a great guy he is. I think he’s a super talent. I think he would be great for the NBA. 

Duke's Cooper Flagg drives as Wake Forest's Tre'Von Spillers defends in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)

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"I always hope with young kids that when they go, it’s the right mental space for them to go. Those are big boy locker rooms they’re walking into. I love his mojo, I love his swag. He just carries himself in a way that exudes confidence, he’s really talented. If he stayed in