You come to Hoops HQ because you want direct access to the biggest newsmakers. Last week, we brought you my exclusive one-on-one interview with Michigan State coach Tom Izzo. Today, we have another exclusive, with Duke freshman phenom Cooper Flagg, written by Senior Correspondent Krysten Peek. Krysten recently took a trip to Durham, NC, to meet with Cooper and his parents. She also interviewed Cooper’s trainer to get the inside scoop on how he revitalized a season that was already pretty darn vital by the time he went home for the holidays. Access, insight, timely storytelling — that’s what you’re getting from Hoops HQ, today and every day.

You’re also getting great advice from our Betting Editor Justin Perri. He has three plays for you on tonight’s games. And if you missed it, be sure to check out Justin’s recommendations on futures bets for the NCAA Tournament. It’s never too early to make a smart bet.

We also have Hayley McGoldrick’s debut installment of our WNBA mock draft, a deep dive on how the younger Pitino has New Mexico rolling and all the usual looks at what’s happening around college hoops. It’s a great time of year for our sport, and it's great to have you all along for the ride.

Enjoy your Wednesday, everyone, and thanks as always for your support of Hoops HQ. —Seth

Exclusive: Inside the Reset That Took Cooper Flagg to Another Level

By Krysten Peek

Cooper Flagg came into this college season as the consensus No. 1 recruit. And by the time he celebrated his 18th birthday in late December, Flagg was already not only the top freshman in the country, but arguably the top player. Through his first 12 games, he averaged 16.3 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.25 blocks, leading Duke in all five categories. But he was also shooting just 42.1 percent from the floor, and he was deeply bothered by disappointing losses to Kentucky and Kansas.

So when the holidays arrived and the Blue Devils had a 10-day break between games, Flagg went to work.

His parents, Ralph and Kelly, invited Cooper’s longtime trainer Matt MacKenzie to put put him through extended shooting sessions, with a focus on footwork and other fundamentals that had been slipping. Then Cooper went home for a few days, where he continued to work on his shooting. “It was all about going back to the basics,” Flagg told Hoops HQ. “Just staying confident…and pushing myself to get better every single day.”

As the break was nearing its end, Flagg texted MacKenzie and said, “I have a feeling things are about to change.”

Like Father, Like Son: Richard Pitino Has New Mexico Winning Big

By Alex Squadron

Richard Pitino is not as intense as his father. The two have different demeanors, different daily routines (at 72 years old, Rick is still working out before sunrise), different leadership styles. Richard’s approach to coaching is “less volatile,” as he tells Hoops HQ. “I would say Coach K and [my dad] are the two best coaches to ever coach the game, so I don’t want to act as though I don’t like his style,” Richard adds. “It’s just not me. I mean, when you lose a game when you play or coach under my dad, it’s like World War III. Legitimately the sky is falling. The highs are very high and the lows are very low and that’s worked for him. I just can’t live my life that way mentally, whereas he can operate through that and get the guys to be better.”

Between the Lines

🏀 In case you missed it: Hoops HQ has partnered with Visit San Antonio and the Hotel Valencia Riverwalk to offer you a chance to win a trip to San Antonio during the men's championship weekend. Four elite teams will battle it out on April 5 & 7 for college basketball’s ultimate glory, and you might be there. Enter here!*

🏀 Mike Woodson was never the right coach for Indiana. The next coach had better be, explains columnist Jeff Goodman.

🏀 Hoops HQ's NBA Mock Draft: Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper are virtual locks for picks 1-3. After that, things get interesting....

No. 9 St. John's @ Villanova: With back-to-back wins over Marquette and UConn last week, St. John's is ranked in the top 10 in the AP poll for the first time in 25 years. Rick Pitino's team is 12-1 in the Big East and 21-3 overall. Defense has been the key to their rise, but the Red Storm will face the nation's leading scorer on Wednesday: Villanova senior forward Eric Dixon (23.8 ppg). And winning at Finneran Pavilion is not easy. 6:00 p.m. ET on FS1.

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