Cooper Flagg’s availability for the Duke Blue Devils in the NCAA -Tournament is one of the biggest storylines around the number 1 seed in the eastern region.
Flagg ran into an apparent left ankle squad in the ACC quarterfinals Georgia TechAnd since then he has has to go to a court to play. Despite the injury to Flagg, as well as Maliq Brown who dealt with a disrupted left shoulder, Duke finished as ACC champions to secure top seeds in their region.
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Duke Blue Devils Forward Cooper Flagg, #2, cuts it just after winning the 2025 ACC Conference Championship match against the Louisville Cardinals in Spectrum Center. (Jim Dedmon imagn images)
College Basketball legend Jalen Rose spoke with Fox News Digital on behalf of Fanatics Sportsbook, and he explained How Duke Will not be so “powerful” if Flagg is unable to adjust to start March Madness.
“Yes, it’s the NCAA tournament,” Rose said when he was asked whether the absence of Flagg could lead to Duke upset early. “And the only thing about the separation between teams, it’s not so powerful if you are without your best player who might be the number one choice in the (2025 NBA) version. That is exactly how this works.
“So yes, they can get into trouble if he doesn’t come back.”
The presence of Flagg for Duke is clearly in terms of winning a national title. He leads in scoring (18.9 points per match) and Rebound (7.5), as well as assists (4.1), steals (1.5) and the list continues.
However, there is a fine line that the blue devils have to walk, says Rose.
Duke Blue Devils Forward Cooper Flagg, #2, and Vooruit Maliq Brown, #6, On the couch during the first half against the North Carolina Tar Heels in Spectrum Center. (Jim Dedmon imagn images)
“If you are him and them, you don’t want to walk back to him, because you don’t want him to be there for the one and a half match, or even one game, and is unable to make a long tournament run,” he explained.
“That’s why they recruit other all-Americans, that’s why they are one of the great programs in the history of collegial basketball. They have other great players in the team. They have to hold it for their husband until he returns.”
Blue Devils-head coach Jon Scheyer gave a very positive update on Flagg on Sunday after the 73-62 victory of his team over Louisville to win the ACC tournament.
“I think it is a great way trending where Cooper will be ready to go straight into the NCAA tournament,” said Scheyer.
Duke Blue Devils Forward Cooper Flagg, #2, walks to the bank during the first half against the North Carolina Tar Heels in Spectrum Center. (Jim Dedmon imagn images)
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That would be great news for the Blue Devils, who will record the winner of the “first four” matchup between American and Mount St. Mary’s in the first round on Friday at 2.50 pm in Raleigh, North Carolina.
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