RALEIGH, N.C. — The test arrived less than two minutes into No. 1 Duke’s eventual 93-49 win Friday over 16-seed Mount St. Mary’s.
The first test of Cooper Flagg’s sprained left ankle, that is, which kept Duke’s freshman star out of the Blue Devils’ final two ACC tournament games last week and threatened his status entering the NCAA Tournament this week. Duke coach Jon Scheyer said Thursday that Flagg would officially be active on Friday for his team’s opening-round game — but saying that is different from actually proving it.
Duke graduate forward Mason Gillis, Flagg’s roommate on the road this week, said that he couldn’t tell any difference in Flagg’s demeanor when the two woke up Friday.
“He was fine. It was just another game,” Gillis said in Duke’s locker room after the game. “I know we’re in the tournament, but we’ve got to keep our focus and keep pushing forward.”
And hours later, there Flagg was: being announced as one of Duke’s starters, just like he had before every game he’d played this season. When Flagg’s name was called, a loud cheer of “Coooop” rang out through a jam-packed Lenovo Center, welcoming him back to the court.
It didn’t take long for Flagg, and the most notable ankle in the tournament, to come into play. About 90 seconds in, Flagg made contact with a defender attempting a layup. Not only did Flagg’s off-balance shot fall good, but the 6-foot-9 freshman fell to the ground while he drew a foul — only to immediately pop back up without pain or pause. From that point on, it was clear that Flagg was fine.
“I had jitters. I wouldn’t say it was about my ankle at all,” Flagg said. “This is something I’ve dreamed about since I was a little kid, so just having this opportunity, (I’m) feeling blessed, and just taking advantage of the moment.”
Of course, given the lopsidedness of Duke’s 44-point win, the Blue Devils didn’t need Flagg to do anything exceptional Friday. Rather, he was his typical self, contributing across the board while fitting into the Blue Devils’ razor-sharp game plan. Flagg finished with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting, while also chipping in seven rebounds, four assists and two blocks in 22 minutes of action.
This is not to say Flagg was perfect; he missed a bunny of a layup midway through the second half and made one of his three 3-point attempts. But that he played, well, and finished the game? That’s as much as Duke could reasonably hope for. Scheyer decided he’d seen enough when he pulled Flagg, and most of Duke’s starters, with 10:53 left to play and his team up double-digits.
“We were ready for him to play more,” Scheyer said, “but I think the way it worked out obviously was really good.”
Flagg said his ankle felt “all good” in the postgame locker room and reiterated how Duke’s training staff had targeted this game for his return ever since the initial injury. Over the past week, Scheyer said that Flagg had been working on an underwater treadmill and swimming to stay in shape without overexerting his lower extremity.
“Giving him a few extra minutes, I’m sure that’s going to be helpful for Sunday,” Scheyer said, looking ahead to Duke’s second-round matchup against Baylor and former Blue Devils guard Jeremy Roach. “As it got down in the second half, my thing was to limit his minutes as much as possible.”
(Photo: Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images)
