Duke Stays Optimistic as Cooper Flagg's Injury Hampers ACC Tournament Run
Boasting a 29-3 record with a 7-3 slate in Quadrant 1 and no defeats against teams ranked below 25th place in the NET, Duke has clinched a No. 1 seed for the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
According to Jerry Palm, this seems to be the case.
And I agree.
Therefore, there’s not much justification for Cooper Flagg to participate in the Friday game against North Carolina in the ACC Tournament semifinals just a day following an injury where he sprained his left ankle during their victory over Georgia Tech. If Cooper Flagg doesn’t play due to this injury, it could work out well for UNC and might even benefit a Duke team aiming for greater accomplishments.
“It’s not crucial to be prepared to face [North Carolina],” stated Duke’s head coach Jon Scheyer. “That isn’t our top priority. Our main focus has to be ensuring he’s set for the potential run we could make in the [NCAA Tournament].”
For Duke supporters seeking silver linings, one positive is that the Blue Devils are expected to start their March Madness journey in Raleigh, North Carolina—a Friday through Sunday venue. This setup suggests Flagg might benefit from approximately seven uninterrupted days recovering from his sprained left ankle before their initial clash in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Should Flagg require additional healing time, Coach Scheyer may opt to keep him sidelined during an opener they’re favored to win regardless, thereby extending rest periods up to around nine full days total.
On Friday morning, Duke stays at number two in the revised CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, with Auburn holding onto the top spot for the 65th straight day due to their impressive 15-4 record against Quadrant 1 opponents. Among all teams, Auburn stands out as the sole squad boasting over eleven victories against Quadrant 1 competition along with having four or fewer losses. These factors contribute significantly to them ranking first in terms of strength of schedule and making them probable candidates for being the overall number one seed should the NCAA Tournament brackets be announced today.
Top 25 +1 Rankings
|
Rk
|
Teams
|
Chg
|
Rcrd
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auburn | In Saturday's closely contested 93-91 overtime defeat against Alabama, Chaney Johnson scored only one out of three attempts and committed four fouls. The Tigers have secured the top seed position in the upcoming SEC Tournament. | -- | 27-4 |
| 2 | Duke | Kon Knueppel ended up scoring 28 points along with adding eight assists in Thursday’s 78-70 victory over Georgia Tech. Duke University’s team will be playing their next match on Friday against North Carolina. | -- | 29-3 |
| 3 | Houston | In Thursday’s 77-68 victory over Colorado, Emanuel Sharp contributed 19 points and grabbed five rebounds. The Cougars will play their following match on Friday against BYU. | -- | 28-4 |
| 4 | Florida | On Saturday, Walter Clayton Jr. scored 23 points and provided eight assists as his team secured a victory with a score of 90-71 against Ole Miss. His team, the Gators, will enter the SEC Tournament as the second-seeded entry. | -- | 27-4 |
| 5 | Michigan St. | In Sunday's game, Tre Holloman scored 20 points along with grabbing three rebounds as his team secured a victory with a score of 79-62 against Michigan. The Spartans have earned the top seed position in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament. | -- | 26-5 |
| 6 | Tennessee | Chaz Lanier concluded with 23 points and three steals in Saturday’s 75-65 victory against South Carolina. The Volunteers are seeded fourth in the SEC Tournament. | -- | 25-6 |
| 7 | Alabama | In Saturday's thrilling 93-91 overtime victory against Auburn, Grant Nelson led the team with 23 points and secured eight rebounds. The Crimson Tide have earned the third seed for the upcoming SEC Tournament. | -- | 24-7 |
| 8 | St. John's | RJ Luis Jr. concluded the game with 20 points and seven rebounds as St. John's defeated Butler 78-57 on Thursday. The team will play Marquette on Friday in their upcoming match. | -- | 28-4 |
| 9 | Texas Tech | In Thursday's close match ending at 76-74, JT Toppin led his team with an impressive score of 26 points along with grabbing 10 rebounds. The upcoming challenge for the Red Raiders will be on Friday when they face off against Arizona. | -- | 25-7 |
| 10 | Wisconsin | In Thursday’s 70-63 victory over Northwestern, John Tonje contributed 18 points along with seven rebounds. Wisconsin will face UCLA in their upcoming game on Friday. | 2 | 24-8 |
| 11 | Purdue | On Thursday, Trey Kaufman-Renn scored 30 points along with grabbing seven rebounds as they secured a victory with a score of 76-71 against USC. Purdue’s upcoming match will be on Friday against Michigan. | 2 | 22-10 |
| 12 | Maryland | In Saturday's game where Maryland won 74-61 against Northwestern, Julian Reese ended up scoring 19 points along with grabbing 11 rebounds. The Terrapins have secured the second seed position for the upcoming Big Ten Tournament. | 2 | 24-7 |
| 13 | Texas A&M | Zhuric Phelps shot 3-for-19 from the field during Thursday's 94-89 double-overtime defeat against Texas. The Aggies' season came to an end in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. | 3 | 22-10 |
| 14 | Iowa St. | In Thursday's game ending with a score of 96-92 against BYU, Joshua Jefferson was responsible for five turnovers. The Cyclones' tournament run came to an end in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament. | 3 | 24-9 |
| 15 | Louisville | In Thursday's close match ending at 75-73, Terrence Edwards Jr. scored an impressive 25 points along with contributing two assists. The team’s upcoming challenge will be taking on Clemson on Friday. | -- | 26-6 |
| 16 | Clemson | In Thursday's close match ending at 57-54, Chase Hunter scored an impressive 21 points along with grabbing four rebounds. Memphis Tigers will take on Louisville in their upcoming game on Friday. | -- | 27-5 |
| 17 | Kentucky | In Thursday's close match ending at 85-84 against Oklahoma, Otega Oweh scored an impressive 27 points along with contributing five assists. The Wildcats will take on Alabama in their upcoming game on Friday. | -- | 22-10 |
| 18 | Arizona | In Thursday’s match where they won 88-77 against Kansas, Henri Veesar scored 19 points and grabbed four rebounds. The team will be playing again on Friday against Texas Tech. | -- | 21-11 |
| 19 | Marquette | In Thursday's close match ending at 89-87, Kam Jones led the team scoring 28 points along with contributing five assists. The Golden Eagles will play their subsequent game on Friday against St. John's. | -- | 23-9 |
| 20 | Memphis | PJ Haggerty concluded the game with 20 points and eight rebounds as the team secured an 84-68 victory over USF on Friday. The Tigers have claimed the topseed for the AAC Tournament. | -- | 26-5 |
| 21 | Saint Mary's | In Tuesday's 58-51 defeat against Gonzaga, Paulius Murauskas went 0-for-7 from the field. The Gaels lost in the championship game of the West Coast Conference Tournament. | -- | 28-5 |
| 22 | Michigan | In Sunday's game where they lost 79-62 against Michigan State, Tre Donaldson scored only 1 out of his 5 attempted shots. The Wolverines have secured the third seed position for the upcoming Big Ten Tournament. | -- | 22-9 |
| 23 | Oregon | In Thursday's 72-59 victory over Indiana, Jackson Shelstad contributed 18 points along with three rebounds. Oregon’s upcoming match will be on Friday against Michigan State. | -- | 24-8 |
| 24 | BYU | In Thursday's close match ending at 96-92, Richie Saunders scored an impressive 23 points along with contributing five assists. The upcoming game for the Cougars will be on Friday against Houston. | -- | 24-8 |
| 25 | Illinois | In Thursday's match where they won 106-94 against Iowa, Kylan Boswell scored 24 points along with contributing seven assists. Illinois' upcoming game will be on Friday against Maryland. | -- | 21-11 |
| 26 | UCLA | On Saturday, Eric Dailey Jr. scored 25 points along with grabbing five rebounds in their decisive 90-63 victory against USC. The UCLA team secured the fourth seeding for the upcoming Big Ten Tournament. | -- | 22-9 |
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