Image Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

2025 March Madness: Will Cooper Flagg play tonight?

Cooper Flagg missed the Blue Devils' final two games in the ACC Tournament.

Image Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

Duke men’s basketball team opens their campaign in the NCAA Championship with a first-round clash against Mount St Mary’s. All the eyes will be on Copper Flagg, who is considered the heavy favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft. The freshman sensation is ready to make his debut in March Madness.

The Blue Devils are the No. 1 seed in the East region and are entering the tournament with an impressive record of 31-3. Duke are on an 11-game winning streak and haven’t lost a game since Feb. 8. They won their last two ACC tournament games without Copper Flagg.

On the flip note, Mount St. Mary’s. are the No. 16 seed and have posted a 23-12 record this season. Mount St. Mary’s squeezed past the American Eagles 83-72 in the First Four clash to qualify for the first-round. It won’t be an easy affair for the visitors to upset the Duke on Friday. The game tips off at 2:50 p.m. ET in Raleigh, NC.

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Will Cooper Flagg play tonight?

Cooper Flagg suffered an ankle sprain in Duke’s win over Georgia Tech on Thursday and missed the Blue Devils’ final two games in the ACC Tournament. Duke made a final confirmation on Copper Flagg and the 18-year-old sensation will be active for Friday’s clash.

Coop update –> active tomorrow vs. Mount St. Mary's

🕺🕺🕺🕺👿 @Cooper_Flagg pic.twitter.com/V5fDURoYPF
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 20, 2025

The Blue Devils star had a full practice on March 19 and displayed no signs of lingering discomfort. He did the shooting practice and attempted shots from various spots.

“I’m feeling pretty good. We have an incredible team, incredible training staff,” Flagg said. “I feel really good. I’m really confident about going 100 percent on Friday.”

Copper Flagg is in a two-man race with Auburn’s Johni Broome for the National Player of the Year honors. He was voted onto the AP All-American first team. Flagg, one of the best NBA prospects, is averaging 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.2 blocks per game.

Apart from Flagg, forward Maliq Brown also suffered a shoulder injury in the same game and the injury kept him out for the final two games of the ACC Tournament. Brown, one of Duke’s top players off the bench, was in warmup gear at the team’s practice on Thursday but his availability is still unclear.

Image Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

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A native of Jaipur, Rajasthan, journalist, and a complete soccer and basketball fan, he found the huge interest with basketball by watching videos of Allen Iverson and Tony Parker, but fell head over heels in love with the sport during the Warriors’ championship era (2015-2018). A sports game addict since his late PS1, he’s also passionate about the Eagles, Inter Miami and the Fever. He’s fortunate to have seen all his favorite teams win championships. He also has a special love for cricket and football (soccer), where he is a fan of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Barcelona.