The availability of the Duke Blue Devils' Cooper Flag in the NCAA Tournament is one of the biggest stories surrounding the No. 1 seed in the Eastern region.
Flag suffered a clear left ankle injury in the ACC quarterfinals against Georgia Tech, but since then he has not yet stepped into court. Malik Brown, who handles the flag injury and dislocated left shoulder, finished as ACC champion to secure the top seed in the region.
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Duke Blue Devils Forward Cooper Flag, #2 cuts the net after winning the 2025 ACC Conference Championship Game with the Spectrum Center Louisville Cardinals. (Imaginary of Jim Dedmon-Immagn)
Jalen Rose, a college basketball legend, spoke to Fox News Digital on behalf of the FaNattics Sportsbook, explaining that if Flagg can't wear a suit to start March Madness, Duke won't become “strong.”
“Yes, it's an NCAA tournament,” Rose said when asked if Flag's absence could lead to Duke getting upset earlier. “And one thing about separation between teams is when you don't have your best player, [2025 NBA] draft. That's how this works.
“So, yes, if he doesn't come back, they might be in trouble.”
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Duke's Flagg's presence is clear in that he wins a national title. He leads with points (18.9 points per game) and rebounds (7.5), followed by assists (4.1), steel (1.5) and the list goes on.
But there are subtle lines that the blue devil has to walk on, Rose says.
The Duke Blue Devils will forward #2, forward Malik Brown, #6 and forward Malik Brown on the bench against the Spectrum Center's North Carolina Tar Heels in the first half. (Imaginary of Jim Dedmon-Immagn)
“You don't want to rush him back because you can't run a long tournament, even half or even one game, because you're him and you don't want to rush them back,” he explained.
“So that's why they recruit other nationals. That's why they're one of the great programs in college basketball history. They've got other great players on their team.
Blue Devils head coach John Shayer made a very positive update on the flag on Sunday after the team won 73-62 to win the ACC tournament.
“I think it's trending in a great way that Cooper is ready to go straight to the NCAA tournament,” Shayer said.
Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flag, #2, will face the North Carolina Tar Heels at Spectrum Center in the first half. (Imaginary of Jim Dedmon-Immagn)
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That's great news for the Blue Devils, who will win the “first four” matchups of American and Mount St. Mary at 2:50pm on Friday in Raleigh, North Carolina.
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