The two-man race between Auburn’s Johni Broome and Duke’s Cooper Flagg for National Player of the Year has taken college basketball by storm.

With the AP announcing their player of the year winner Friday afternoon, Duke players expressed how they felt about Flagg’s case over Broome’s.

“He is obviously a special talent and is one of the youngest players in college basketball,” Duke Freshman Darren Harris said. “The type of games and clutch moments he had I think there should be no debate.”

Flagg, who turned 18 on Dec. 21, averages 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists for the Blue Devils. He was the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year.

Harris added his thoughts on Broome’s season and highlighted how important the Blue Devils victory over the Tigers was during the ACC/SEC challenge.

“We won the game so that should say something. Broome is a special talent as well. He has a unique game and sticks to his strengths,” Harris added. “I think Auburn does a good job playing through him and he’s very versatile as a big man.”

Broome finished with 20 points against the Blue Devils, shooting 8-of-18 from the floor in the December matchup at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Maliq Brown was the primary defender on Broome that game and broke down what he saw from Auburn’s leading scorer.

“Just knowing he’s a guy they go to all the time I wanted to make it hard on him offensively,” Brown said. “I took that matchup personally and I made sure not to make things easy for him.

Brown added why he thinks Flagg is the player of the year and his impact on the rest of the Blue Devils roster.

“I don’t think anyone has played to the level Flagg has on offense and defense. He is 18 years playing basketball at the highest level there is. Not only does he make the right decision, but he makes everyone on the court better.”

Cooper Flagg was the youngest player in NCAA history to record 30/5/5 stat line in a tournament game against Arizona.

“He is doing everything that you can possibly do the floor,” Duke Guard Caleb Foster said. “He is the best player in college basketball and its clear as day.”

Duke will headline Saturday’s semifinal games against Houston and tipoff is set for 7:09 p.m.

Jerry Humphrey III covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Jerryhump3 or email him at [email protected].