Duke freshman star Cooper Flagg says he’ll be ready to play fully in Friday’s NCAA Tournament opener against Mount St. Mary’s as he recovers from a sprained ankle.
“I feel very good,” he said Thursday. “I’m very confident moving forward.”
The unanimous Associated Press first-team All-American rolled his left ankle during the ACC Tournament quarterfinals and missed the Blue Devils’ wins in the semifinals and title game. That sent Duke into March Madness with the No. 1 seed in the East Region bracket.
The school posted on social media Thursday that Flagg would be active for Friday’s game. After that, Flagg attended a players’ news conference and said he was able to return to full practice Wednesday.
Flagg said he “hated every second” of not being able to play during the ACC Tournament after the injury, but X-rays and an MRI both came back with encouraging results to indicate his absence wouldn’t be long.
“I’ve rolled my ankle a good amount of times growing up playing basketball,” 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.”
[Read more: 2025 March Madness: One thing to know about every NCAA Tournament team]
The Blue Devils’ first-round game in their home state is one of six games in the East bracket on Friday.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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