Top-ranked Duke University, along with the Atlantic Coast Conference, has communicated to the NCAA Tournament selection committee that freshman sensation Cooper Flagg is expected to be ready for the eagerly anticipated March Madness. This development was confirmed by NCAA senior vice president for basketball, Dan Gavitt, during a conversation on CBS, which took place just ahead of the official reveal of the 68-team field on Sunday.
Flagg suffered a sprain to his left ankle in Duke’s recent victory over Georgia Tech, which happened during the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament on Thursday. The 6-foot-9 forward has been recognized as both the ACC player of the year and the newcomer of the year earlier in the week.
Despite being sidelined for Duke’s semifinal triumph against long-standing rival North Carolina, coach Jon Scheyer decided that Flagg would not participate in the Saturday night championship game against No. 13 ranked Louisville.
During the face-off against UNC, Flagg was present on the sidelines dressed in black warmups and was observed standing at the rear of team huddles alongside injured teammate Maliq Brown, who is dealing with a shoulder injury. Notably, Flagg displayed no severe limp or need for a protective boot as he moved about at Friday’s game.
Gavitt pointed out that Flagg’s injury is among several that the committee is monitoring throughout the weekend, as player availability is a significant factor in determining a team’s seeding in the tournament.
