Fortunately for Duke, their young phenom, Cooper Flagg, appeared to avoid serious damage after leaving Thursday’s ACC Tournament game against Georgia Tech.
Flagg’s status remains uncertain following what head coach Jon Scheyer described as a left ankle sprain. His injury occurred at a vital time for the Blue Devils, who are still in the conference tournament and will shortly be among the title contenders in the NCAA Tournament.
Is Cooper Flagg playing today? Flagg’s official status for Friday’s game versus North Carolina is still unknown. However, based on Scheyer’s postgame comments on Thursday, the talented freshman is unlikely to play before the NCAA Tournament begins.
Duke’s head coach was more concerned with Flagg’s health during his team’s title hunt. “It isn’t worth it. It simply isn’t. Again, his ankle was already swelled. “It’s not about being prepared to go tomorrow,” Scheyer explained. “That isn’t the most important thing for us; we need to see if we can get him ready for our run in the [NCAA] Tournament. But I’d have to be convinced before we even considered seeing if he could travel tomorrow.”
Scheyer said that Flagg “probably won’t be able to go anyway,” and that it would be a “real longshot” for him to play again in the ACC Tournament while the medical staff continues to monitor the swelling around his ankle.
With more than 24 hours between games, Flagg’s ankle may recover sufficiently for Duke to contemplate allowing the rookie to participate. However, according to Scheyer’s initial assessment, Flagg will likely be out until the Blue Devils’ March Madness run begins.
How is Cooper Flagg doing?
Flagg got hurt in his ankle and had to leave Thursday’s ACC Tournament match against Georgia Tech. Flagg stepped on an opponent’s ankle and twisted his own while attempting to grab a defensive rebound.
He went to the floor in agony right away, and his teammates had to assist him in getting off the court.
Flagg was spotted in a wheelchair after returning to the dressing room. For the remainder of the game, Flagg remained on Duke’s bench. Following the game, Scheyer stated that Flagg’s ankle X-rays were negative and that the injury was classified as a sprain.
The team would continue to track the condition’s healing process. March Madness begins when? Flagg would need to return by March 20 or 21 if he wants to be ready for the NCAA Tournament to begin. The first round of action will start at that point.
Here is a look at the March Madness entire tentative schedule: March 18–19 is the first four.
Round one: March 20–21
Round two: March 22–23
Sweet 16: 27–28
March March 29–30
is the Elite Eight.
Final Four: 5 April April 7 is the NCAA championship game.
