College Basketball

Cooper Flagg Injury: Will Duke Star Play In March Madness 2025?

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By
Dan Girolamo
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Dan Girolamo Sports Editor

Dan is a multifaceted content creator who specializes in sports, pop culture, and entertainment. His entertainment work has been featured on Digital Trends, where he has interviewed Brendan Fraser, Jamie Lee Curtis, Alison Brie, Adam DeVine, Sadie Sink, Chris O'Dowd, Machine Gun Kelly, and Frank Grillo. Dan's entertainment work has also been featured on Coming Soon, Hidden Remote, and WatchMojo. Dan's other passion in life revolves around sports, graduating from Marist College with a degree in Sports Communication and Journalism. From columns about the latest in New York sports to gambling predictions, Dan continues to find success in written and broadcast journalism. Previous written work can be found at Unafraid Show, while broadcast clips can be seen on WAVE.tv and CBS Sports.

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Published20 Mar 2025

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Cooper Flagg sits at the podium.

One of the biggest questions of the 2025 NCAA Tournament is the status of Duke superstar Cooper Flagg. Will the freshman sensation play during March Madness 2025?

Cooper Flagg Will Be Active For First Round

Duke fans can breathe a sigh of relief.

Flagg will be available for No. 1 Duke’s opening-round game against No. 16 Mount St. Mary.

Flagg injured his ankle in the first half of Duke’s ACC Tournament game against Georgia Tech on March 13. Flagg left the game and did not return.

The Duke freshman sat out the rest of the ACC Tournament. However, the Blue Devils managed to win the ACC and secure a No. 1 seed in the East Region.

Flagg spoke with the media on Thursday and said he’s pain-free” and will be ready to go on Friday.

“We’ve been working through the steps of just getting back to 100 percent, and I feel very good,” Flagg said via ESPN. “I’m very confident moving forward.”

The MRI and X-rays both showed no significant damage to Flagg’s ankle. Then, it was just a matter of pain tolerance and ramping back up to play.

“From the start of the week, it was kind of like a buildup of jumping back into practice, getting back to 100 percent, doing some individual things with some of the coaches on the side,” Flagg said. “Then I was back at full practice [Wednesday].”

Duke Will Need Cooper Flagg To Win A Championship

Duke is talented enough to win a few games without Flagg.

To win the championship, the Blue Devils must have their best player return to the lineup.

Flagg leads Duke in per-game averages for points (18.9), rebounds (7.5), assists (4.1), steals (1.5), and blocks (1.2).

The 18-year-old freshman was a unanimous selection to First Team All-America. Flagg is also one of the frontrunners to win National Player of the Year.

Flagg will try to help Duke win their first national championship since 2015, when three freshmen — Justice Winslow, Jahlil Okafor, and Tyus Jones — brought home a title for the Blue Devils.

No. 1 Duke plays No. 16 Mount St. Mary on Friday, March 21, at 2:50 p.m. ET.