Breaking: Cooper Flagg, a forward and guard for Duke, receives the prestigious Maxwell Award for excellence and exceptional g……

There’s never been a safer bet than Cooper Flagg to become ACC Rookie of the Year. That was true in the preseason, as the Duke basketball freshman sensation arrived in Durham as a projected one-and-done talent and No. 1 overall draft pick.

And Flagg, who turned 18 on Saturday, has done nothing but boost the probability of the Blue Devils adding to their record of 14 ACC Rookie of the Year recipients, including nine such distinctions in the past 13 years alone.

On Monday, the conference revealed that Flagg, the No. 4-ranked Blue Devils’ leader in points (16.3), rebounds (8.6), assists (3.5), and blocks (1.3) per game, is the ACC Rookie of the Week for the fourth time.

This go-round, the 6-foot-9, 205-pound Maine native averaged 18.5 points, 6.5 boards, 3.0 dimes, and 1.5 steals between Duke’s 68-47 home win over the George Mason Patriots and 82-56 road victory over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

Fellow Duke basketball guard/forward Kon Knueppel was the first ACC Rookie of the Week this season. Plus, Cooper Flagg became ACC Player of the Week on Nov. 25.

Fellow Duke basketball guard/forward Kon Knueppel was the first ACC Rookie of the Week this season. Plus, Cooper Flagg became ACC Player of the Week on Nov. 25.

So, combining all ACC Rookie of the Week and ACC Player of the Week honors thus far this season, Duke boasts six of 14.

Next up for Cooper Flagg and the Blue Devils (10-2, 2-0 ACC) is a home outing against the Virginia Tech Hokies (5-7, 0-1 ACC) on Tuesday, Dec. 31, at 4:30 p.m. ET (ACC Network).