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Latest Injury Update on Duke Star Cooper Flagg Could Completely Change NCAA Tournament
@Source: newsweek.com
As the Duke Blue Devils look to capture their 23rd ACC Tournament championship in school history on Saturday, they received a massive injury update on their superstar forward Cooper Flagg.More Cooper Flagg: Duke HC Provides Massive Update on Cooper Flagg Following Scary InjuryAccording to Duke, Flagg will be available for the NCAA tournament.Dan Gavitt, who is part of the NCAA staff as vice president of men's basketball, shared when discussing Duke's seeding in the tournament."We understand through communication with Duke and the ACC that Cooper Flagg will be available for the NCAA tournament, so don't expect that to impact their seeding," Gavitt said Saturday.Flagg injured his ankle on Thursday against Georgia Tech. He will miss the championship game on Saturday against Louisville after missing Friday's semifinal game against North Carolina.Prior to this update, Pete Thamnel of ESPN speculated whether Duke could possibly survive the first round without Flagg."We're now at day three of the Cooper Flagg left ankle watch," Thamel said on College GameDay. "In the big picture, prognosis is, we'll see. I mean, it's a left ankle sprain, right? You can't overthink it. Rest is obviously the most important thing. Jon Scheyer has told us Rece, there's no structural damage there, and he said that Cooper Flagg is doing better."I think the conversation quickly shifts now to will Cooper Flagg play in the first round of the NCAA Tournament? Obviously Duke (is going to be a) one seed. They're going to play a number 16 seed, and it's just gonna be a matter of rest and recovery for Cooper Flagg."The 18-year-old's availability for Duke's title run is everything and more. While they are a talented enough team to win the ACC title, that may not be the case for the NCAA tournament.Duke's latest game against their rival, North Carolina, proved that to be the point. Although the Blue Devils were up for most of the game, they saw a 24-point lead dwindle to as little as one point, and the Tar Heels had a chance to win the game in the final seconds.If Flagg were playing, the lead would have been safe, as he has repeatedly come up for his team with timely shots and stops on the defensive end throughout the season. Flagg has been tremendous for his squad, averaging 19.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game this season while shooting 49.4 percent from the field and 37.7 percent from beyond the arc.Duek head coach Jon Scheyer said at the start that it wasn't a significant injury and that appears to be the case. We'll find out on Sunday if Duke will play on either Thursday or Friday for their first game in the round of 64.More Cooper Flagg: Duke Superstar Cooper Flagg Exits ACC Tournament Match With InjuryDuke NCAA Tournament Odds Plummet Following Cooper Flagg InjuryFor more NBA, College Basketball news and rumors, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
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