Duke's Scheyer: Goal Is For Cooper Flagg to Make Injury Return in March Madness Opener

Duke men's basketball head coach Jon Scheyer revealed that standout freshman Cooper Flagg is targeting a return in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament after suffering an ankle injury.

"It's full steam ahead," Scheyer said on ESPN's College GameNight on Sunday. "I want to get Coop back as quickly as we can, and he wants to do the same. You know, obviously tomorrow is important. We had an off day today. We got back late. We hope that he can start to progress starting tomorrow with doing some on-court work and then build up to where he can practice later in the week. So our goal is for Friday, no question about it. I know that's his goal as well. We're just going to progress him the right way and still be smart about not doing too much in the beginning."

Flagg missed the Blue Devils' final two games of the ACC tournament—which they won—after suffering a sprained ankle during a 78-70 win over Georgia Tech on Thursday.

With the entire field of 68 teams released on Sunday, Duke is now scheduled to face off against the winner of the First Four battle between American and Mount St. Mary's on Friday.

The Blue Devils earned the No. 1 seed in the East Region, with NCAA Senior Vice President of Basketball Dan Gavitt explaining that Flagg's expected availability kept his team as a top seed.

"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 met the high expectations that were set for him ahead of his freshman campaign, averaging 18.9 points and 7.5 rebounds to go along with 4.1 assists per game on 48.8/36.8/83.0 shooting splits.

The 18-year-old also made his presence felt on defense, recording 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks per game.

Flagg was named the 2024-25 ACC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year.

If he ultimately can't suit up in the first round, freshman guard Isaiah Evans is the top candidate to start in his place.

While Flagg isn't officially available for the start of March Madness just yet, Scheyer provided an optimistic update regarding the forward's eventual return from an ankle sprain.