The Duke Blue Devils steamrolled the Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers 93-49 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. It was the first game back for superstar Cooper Flagg after he sustained an injury in the ACC Conference Tournament.
Shortly after the victory, the 18-year-old phenom finally opened up about his ankle injury. It didn’t seem to bother him much at all but the Duke star admitted that he felt “a little gassed” after missing some time, according to Brian Hall of WFMY Sports. Regardless, Flagg seems fine and ready for the next game.
“I think it definitely feels good to get a game under my belt while I’m coming back. I was definitely a little gassed out there through times a little bit, quicker than I would have been previously. So, it’s just about getting those game reps back and getting back into the flow of everything.”
postgame interview with @DukeMBB‘s Cooper Flagg after NCAA Tournament First Round win over Mount St. Mary’s. @WFMY #wfmysports pic.twitter.com/5aY7QP7bHp
— Brian Hall (@bhallwfmy) March 21, 2025
Cooper Flagg finished the game with 14 points, seven rebounds, and four assists through 30 minutes of play. Having the privilege of taking on a No. 16 seed to begin the NCAA Tournament was a perfect tune-up game for Flagg and the Blue Devils.
The Duke star suffered an ankle injury during the team’s 78-70 ACC Conference quarterfinal against Georgia Tech. Cooper Flagg was taken off the court in a wheelchair, but luckily he didn’t suffer from anything serious. Flagg accidentally rolled his ankle during that game and it seems to be just fine now.
Duke moves on to the round of 32 where they’ll take on the No. 9 ranked Baylor Bears. Baylor will rely heavily on Big 12 Freshman of the Year VJ Eldridge, as they hope to stun Cooper Flagg and the Blue Devils. However, Flagg and his team are a No. 1 ranked team for a reason after finishing the regular season with a 32-3 record and winning the ACC Conference Championship.
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