Cooper Flagg’s availability for the Duke Blue Devils in the NCAA tournament is one of the biggest scenarios surrounding the n ° 1 seed in the Eastern region.
Flagg has undergone an apparent left ankle injury in the ACC -finals against Georgia Tech, and he has not yet set foot on a field to play since then. Despite Flagg’s injury, as well as Maliq Brown dealing with a dislocated left shoulder, Duke finished as ACC champions to secure the head of their region.
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Duke Blue Devils Cooper Flagg striker, n ° 2, cuts the net after winning the 2025 ACC conference championship match against the Cardinals of Louisville at the Spectrum Center. (Jim Dedmon-Imagn images)
“Yes, this is the NCAA tournament,” Rose said when he was asked if the absence of flagg could lead to Duke upset. “And the only thing about the separation between the teams is not as powerful when you are without your best player who could be the number one choice in the [2025 NBA] Draft. This is how it works.
“So, yes, they could be in trouble if he didn’t come back.”
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The presence of Flagg for Duke is obvious in terms of the victory of a national title. He leads to the score (18.9 points per match) and the rebound (7.5), as well as to assists (4.1), to flights (1.5) and the list is long.
However, there is a fine line that Blue Devils must walk, says Rose.
Duke Blue Devils Cooper Flagg striker, n ° 2, and striker Maliq Brown, n ° 6, on the bench during the first half against the Tar Caroline du Nord heels at the Spectrum Center. (Jim Dedmon-Imagn images)
“If you are him and them, you don’t want to rush him because you don’t want him to be there for half, or even a match, and you can’t make a long tournament,” he said.
“This is why they recruit other All-Americans, which is why they are one of the major programs in the history of college basketball. They obtained other great players from the team. They must maintain it for their guys 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 against Louisville to win the ACC tournament.
“I think it’s trendy in a great way where Cooper will be ready to go right away in the NCAA tournament,” said Scheyer.
Duke Blue Devils Cooper Flagg striker, n ° 2, goes to the bench during the first half against the Tar Caroline from the North heels at the Spectrum Center. (Jim Dedmon-Imagn images)
This would be a great news for the Blue Devils, who will face the winner of the match “First Four” between American and Mount St. Mary’s in the first round on Friday at 2:50 p.m. in Raleigh, in North Carolina.
