The NCAA had a big decision to make for Sunday after Duke freshman Cooper Flagg suffered an injury during the ACC Tournament quarterfinal. Flagg left the game with a sprained ankle and did not return to the contest.
Following their win over Georgia Tech in the semifinal, Duke ruled out Flagg before their semifinal win over North Carolina on Friday and their contest against Louisville on Saturday in the ACC Champion Game.
Flagg’s injury raised concerns about the NCAA Tournament, set to begin next week. Duke entered the week as the No. 1 program in the country, but their seeding would likely change if the expected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft wasn’t available.
NCAA makes decision on Duke-Cooper Flagg
Given the stake for Flagg, it would be entirely understandable if the prospect missed the tournament to prepare for the draft.
Per Myron Medcalf of ESPN, NCAA senior vice president of men’s basketball Dan Gavitt confirmed that Duke has communicated that Flagg will be available to play in the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA has decided not to alter Duke’s seeding based on Thursday’s injury.
“What we understand from communication with Duke and the ACC is that Cooper Flagg will be available for the NCAA tournament so don’t expect that to impact their seeding,” Gavitt said. “He is not the only significant injury. We’re tracking other injuries from other teams.
“Player availability is always a concern and a consideration and could potentially impact seeding, especially if a player is unavailable to play in the NCAA tournament.”
The timeline for Flagg’s return is still unclear
It wasn’t specified in the ESPN report if Flagg would be ready in the Round of 64 or if being “available” for the tournament meant he could return in a later round.
On Friday, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer said the team’s goal was to get Flagg ready for the NCAA Tournament.
“(Flagg) sprained it pretty good, though,” Scheyer said. “It’s a good sprain. I’m not breaking any news. He’s not going to play [in the ACC title game]. He can’t play. But our goal is to have him ready for the NCAA tournament. But we need to see how this weekend goes with the swelling and what he can do.”
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