Freshman star Cooper Flagg is ready to go for No. 1 seed Duke in March Madness

By Canadian Press on March 20, 2025.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Duke freshman star Cooper Flagg says he’s good to go after spraining his left ankle last week, just in time for March Madness.

The top-seeded Blue Devils said Flagg will be active for Friday’s first-round game against Mount St. Mary’s in the NCAA Tournament’s East Region. Meanwhile, the unanimous Associated Press first-team All-American said Thursday that he’s pain-free and was able to return to full practice a day earlier.

“I feel very good,” he said. “I’m very confident moving forward.”

Flagg was hurt in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament quarterfinals and missed the Blue Devils’ wins in the semifinals and title game. He said he “hated every second” of not being able to play after the injury, but X-rays and an MRI both came back with results that indicated he could return after a short absence.

“I’ve rolled my ankle a good amount of times growing up playing basketball,” the 18-year-old Flagg said. “Usually I’m able to just tie my shoe and walk it off. It was definitely a little bit of a different feeling as soon as I rolled my ankle this time, I knew it was a little bit more severe and a little more serious.”

Flagg jogged and glided through Thursday’s public practice in the arena about a half-hour’s drive from the Duke campus. He showed no indications of being hobbled, including when he knocked down five straight 3-pointers — twice on the right wing, left corner, left wing and back to the right — during a shootaround.

Coach Jon Scheyer said he wouldn’t let Flagg play if he had been “compensating” for the injury in the practice, but added Flagg still “has to work through” a bit more to be 100 percent.

“We built him up slowly and really progressed him the right way, but he’s ready to go,” Scheyer said. “In his mind, he was ready last weekend, but he wasn’t.”

Friday’s slate

Duke’s opener against the 16th-seeded Mountaineers is one of six East first-rounders Friday, including eighth-seeded Mississippi State facing ninth-seed Baylor, also in Raleigh, North Carolina.

In Cleveland, second-seeded Alabama faces 15 seed Robert Morris, while 7 seed Saint Mary’s meets 10 seed Vanderbilt. And in Seattle, fourth-seeded Alabama meets 13 seed Akron, while fifth-seeded Oregon meets 12th-seeded Liberty.

Uncertain status

Flagg’s ankle isn’t the only noteworthy injury in the East.

Alabama forward Grant Nelson and his balky knee will be a game-time decision for the Crimson Tide (25-8) when they face Robert Morris (26-8). Alabama’s second-leading scorer (11.8 points per game) and key part of last year’s Final Four run was hurt in the first half of a blowout loss to Florida in the Southeastern Conference Tournament last week.

Coach Nate Oats described Nelson, who saw a specialist earlier this week, as “day to day.” Nelson has participated in workouts but has yet to go full speed in practice.

“I think it’s looking a little better, obviously, for Sunday than maybe Friday,” Oats said. “But there’s a chance he could play.”

Pacific Northwest success

Dana Altman has Oregon thriving in March in his 15 years with the Ducks.

The Ducks (24-9) have 76 wins in March since Altman arrived in 2010. That has outpaced bluebloods North Carolina (74), Kansas (73), and Kentucky and Duke (73). Oregon has made five Sweet 16s, two Elite Eights and the 2017 Final Four in that span.

The Ducks will also be in their home Pacific Northwest region, while Conference USA champion Liberty (28-6) is making a cross-country trip from its Lynchburg, Virginia, campus. The Flames are in the NCAAs for the third time in six tournaments under Ritchie McKay, which included pulling a 12-versus-5 upset against Mississippi State in the 2019 first round.

Clash of styles

Vanderbilt wants to go fast. Saint Mary’s wants to go slow.

The Commodores (20-12) averaged over 78 points, while only four teams allowed fewer points than the seventh-seeded Gaels (28-5). Saint Mary’s ranks eighth nationally in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency by allowing 92.2 points per 100 possessions, while the West Coast Conference’s regular-season champ also led the country in rebounding margin.

“We try to go in every game with that mindset of we can try to break these guys, especially teams that like to score,” Saint Mary’s senior forward Luke Barrett said.

Vanderbilt enters on a three-game skid.

“We’ve went on the skids (late) in the season but we know that’s not who we are,” guard Jason Edwards said. “We know we deserve to be in this tournament and we’re going to prove it to everybody tomorrow.”

Another step?

Chris Jans is 3-for-3 in getting Mississippi State to March Madness after the program went just once from 2010-22 before his arrival.

Jans’ 2023 team lost to Pittsburgh in the First Four, then fell to Michigan State last year as an 8 seed. The Bulldogs (21-12) are back in that position again, this time against the Bears (19-14).

“We got to wear the lighter-colored jersey for the first time (last year), then we’re doing it again,” Jans said.

Now it’s about earning the program’s first March Madness win since the 2008 first round.

“Getting here certainly was a goal, but it wasn’t the ultimate goal,” Jans said.

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AP Sports Writers Will Graves in Cleveland and Anne M. Peterson in Seattle contributed to this report.

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This story has been corrected to show Duke’s first game is Friday, not Thursday.

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Aaron Beard, The Associated Press