The Duke Blue Devils looked like one of the best teams in college basketball as they breezed through the ACC Tournament, and they did it without the best player in the game. Now, head coach Jon Scheyer has an optimistic Cooper Flagg injury update as March Madness approaches, but that doesn’t mean we will see the freshman sensation next Thursday or Friday.
“Trending in a great way where Cooper will be ready to play right away in the NCAA tournament,” Scheyer told reporters after Duke beat Louisville 73-62 to win its conference tournament, per reporter Conor O’Neill
However, while fans and media started to run with this Cooper Flagg injury update and suggest it meant that he would be back for Duke’s Round 1 matchup in the NCAA Tournament, Scheyer quickly shut that down.
“Jon Scheyer says he did not confirm that Cooper Flagg would play next week, but says that’s his intention. Says he’s not sure where the earlier report came from,” reported Chris Lea of WRAL.
This makes sense, as the Duke basketball team, fresh off their ACC titles in both the regular and postseason, is slated to be a No. 1 seed when March Madness kicks off on Thursday and Friday. That means they will get a No. 16 seed, and after breezing through the ACC—even in a down year for the conference—they should have no problem with whatever obscure school they face in their opener.
If the Blue Devils can get Flagg back by Saturday or Sunday, when they play their second game of the tournament, that would be ideal. In that round, the team they would face will be a No. 8 or No. 9 seed.
Ultimately, Duke will be a much better basketball team with Flagg, who is the most exciting prospect in the country. However, his injury might be a blessing in disguise for the tourney, as the rest of the team stepped up in his absence, and if players like Tyrese Proctor, Kon Knueppel, and Khaman Maluach can play like they did in Charlotte alongside Flagg, the Blue Devils could win it all.
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