Duke Makes Cooper Flagg Starting Lineup Decision Ahead of March Madness Opener

The No. 1 Blue Devils will take on No. 16 Mount St. Mary's Friday afternoon.

Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) catches a pass during the NCAA pre tournament practice at Lenovo Center at Lenovo Center. / Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

Duke avoided the worst-case scenario when it came to Cooper Flagg's ankle injury during the ACC tournament.

Flagg, who went down in the Blue Devils' conference tournament opener against Georgia Tech, was cleared on Thursday to play in the program's first-round NCAA tournament game against Mount St. Mary's. According to Sports Illustrated's Bryan Fischer, he will start Friday afternoon's game in Raleigh.

Cooper Flagg will start for Duke today vs. Mount St. Mary's.

— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) March 21, 2025

Duke managed to win the ACC tournament without Flagg, a run that may only help them as they get into the heart of March Madness. It was unclear whether they would risk playing Flagg against the likely overmatched Mountaineers, but it appears that he should be close to 100% given his place in the starting lineup.

Flagg seemed to be moving well during warmups ahead of the game, throwing down an athletic dunk with ease.

Cooper Flagg seems fine. pic.twitter.com/fXixZPIvny

— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) March 21, 2025

Flagg is averaging 18.9 point, 7.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game as a freshman and is in contention for national player of the year honors. He is also the strong favorite to be the top player selected in the 2025 NBA draft, although he has publicly considered the idea of returning to Duke for his sophomore season.

Friday's game is set to tip off at 2:50 p.m. ET.

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