The seeding position for Duke gives it another chance to embark on a deep path in the NCAA Tournament, but lingering apprehensions about the health of some players plague them still. Freshman sensation Cooper Flagg sprained his ankle during Duke’s Thursday victory over Georgia Tech, ruling him out of the last two games of the ACC Tournament.
Duke nevertheless pleased their supporters by winning with relative ease against Louisville on Saturday. Another forward, Maliq Brown, also succumbed to injury: a shoulder injury prevented him from competing in the last two games of the ACC Tournament.
Flagg’s injury status will carry weight when it comes to the NCAA Tournament. He is neck and neck with Auburn’s John Broome for the National Player of the Year and was the only other person alongside Broome unanimously selected for the AP All-American first team.
In addition, Flagg is thought to be the frontrunner for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Many consider him one of the top prospects for the NBA in the past few years, and he has definitely lived up to that hype this year at Duke. Almost every key stat he leads in, as he is averaging 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.2 blocks a game.
As No. 1 seed Duke awaits the winner of Wednesday’s First Four matchup between Mount St. Mary’s and American on Friday, some fresh news regarding Flagg’s injury. In his latest comments on Flagg’s condition, Coach Jon Scheyer conveyed optimism concerning the star player’s chances of returning for Friday’s game, yet he did not confirm Flagg’s availability for the Round of 64 clash.
Scheyer shared, “From my perspective, it’s full steam ahead. I want to get Coop back as quickly as possible, and he feels the same way. Obviously, tomorrow is crucial. Today was a rest day, and we returned late from the ACC tournament.”
