Just a week ago, Duke star Cooper Flagg suffered a nasty-looking ankle injury in the ACC Tournament. Some fans were legitimately concerned that he could miss March Madness because of it.
Despite not having Flagg for the rest of the ACC Tournament, Duke managed to take down North Carolina and Louisville en route to winning the conference title. Tyrese Proctor, Kon Knueppel and Sion James combined for 52 points in the championship game.
In order to win the NCAA Tournament, Duke needs Flagg on the court playing at a high level. Luckily for the Blue Devils, he’ll be available.
Moments ago, Duke confirmed that Flagg will be active for Friday’s game against Mount St. Mary’s. That should ease any concerns about his left ankle.
It’s not really a huge surprise that Flagg is ready to go for the NCAA Tournament. Earlier this week, Duke coach Jon Scheyer sounded very confident about the freshman phenom’s availability.
“From my perspective, it’s full steam ahead,” Scheyer told ESPN’s Rece Davis. “I want to get Coop back as quickly as we can, and he wants to do the same. So our goal is for Friday, no question about it. I know that’s his goal as well. We’re just going to progress in the right way and still be smart about not doing too much in the beginning of the week.”
Flagg has been sensational for Duke, averaging 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. He’ll get a chance to pick up where he left off on Friday night.
Duke is an overwhelming favorite heading into Friday’s game against Mount St. Mary’s.
We’ll see if Flagg can lead the Blue Devils to their first national championship since 2015.
Related: Heartbreaking Photo Emerges Of Cooper Flagg After His Injury