Duke's Cooper Flagg Ready to Shine in NCAA Tournament First Round

The Duke Blue Devils, sitting comfortably as the No. 1 seed, are welcoming their star player, Cooper Flagg, back onto the court just in time for the NCAA Tournament opener. Flagg, who faced an ankle injury during the ACC quarterfinals, is now fully cleared to play against No. 16 Mount St. Mary’s at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, this Friday.

Flagg, a name that NBA scouts are already salivating over as the projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft, had fans on edge after his injury. But according to Flagg himself, he’s now "really confident about going 100%" for the game. "I had an MRI, X-Ray, both of those looked really good. So, from then it was just moving on, pain-tolerance type of things, just getting the recovery and treatment that I needed," he said.

After jumping back into practice and completing a full session on Wednesday, Flagg confirmed he’s ready to lead his team. Still, it’s hard not to feel for Blue Devils fans, who held their collective breath when he went down. Let’s face it—Duke’s national title hopes would’ve taken a serious nosedive had Flagg been ruled out for March Madness.

Even with Flagg sidelined, Duke managed to secure the ACC Tournament title, though they were also missing starting forward Maliq Brown, who remains out with a dislocated shoulder. Head coach Jon Scheyer revealed that Flagg initially wanted to play in the ACC championship game but was held back for his own good. Scheyer explained, "He wasn’t going to play if he was compensating. Look, no matter what (with) an ankle sprain… to say he’s 100% tomorrow, he has to work through that a little bit still. But he’s not compensating."

It’s clear Duke took a cautious approach to Flagg’s recovery, slowly building him up to ensure proper movement. And now, with the green light, all eyes are on the consensus All-American, who has been nothing short of remarkable this season. Flagg has averaged 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game—leading Duke in every one of those categories. Oh, and he’s also the frontrunner for Player of the Year. No big deal, right?

The stakes couldn’t be higher for Flagg and the Blue Devils as they kick off their tournament journey. If his ankle holds up and his game lives up to the hype, Duke fans might just get the championship celebration they’ve been dreaming of.