All eyes are on Cooper Flagg as top-seeded Duke prepares for its hyped-up NCAA postseason run this March.
Flagg injured his left ankle in the ACC tournament quarterfinal game against Georgia Tech on Thursday and missed the team’s final two games en route to winning the ACC championship.
During Selection Sunday, Duke coach Jon Scheyer discussed a tentative timeline for the superstar freshman’s recovery from injury, naming Friday as the day the team hopes Flagg can return to action.
In the wake of mounting worries over Flagg’s availability for the NCAA tournament, Cooper Flagg’s mom, Kelly, spoke to Front Office Sports on Monday and gave a cautiously encouraging update.
When asked if she expects her son to play this weekend, Kelly said, “I will expect to see him–yes–very soon.”
Duke earned a No. 1 seed in the tournament in the East region and is set to play the winner of the First Four game between American and Mount St. Mary’s in Raleigh in the first round on Friday. The Blue Devils finished the regular season as the top-ranked team in the AP Top 25 and have lost just once—against Clemson on Feb. 8—since the start of 2025.
If fully healthy, Flagg will likely suit up for Duke’s first-round matchup. If not, he likely won’t, and will hope his teammates can get the job done to give him a few extra days of rest ahead of an unforgiving slate of games in the NCAA tournament.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Cooper Flagg’s Mom Gives Brief Update on Duke Star’s Status for NCAA Tournament.
