Freshman star Cooper Flagg ready to go for Duke in March Madness

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RALEIGH, N.C. — Duke freshman star Cooper Flagg says he’ll be ready to play fully in Thursday’s NCAA Tournament opener against Mount St. Mary’s as he recovers from a sprained ankle.

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The unanimous Associated Press first-team All-American rolled his left ankle during the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament quarterfinals and missed the Blue Devils’ wins in the semifinals and title game. That sent Duke into March Madness with the No. 1 seed in the East Region bracket.

The school posted on social media Thursday that Flagg would be active for Friday’s game. After that, Flagg attended a players’ news conference and said he been able to return to full practice Wednesday.

Flagg said he “hated every second” of not being able to play during the ACC Tournament after the injury. He later said during a brief locker-room conversation that he was pain-free.

The Blue Devils’ first-round game in their home state is one of six games in the East bracket on Friday. The list includes No. 8 seed Mississippi State facing Baylor, also in Raleigh, North Carolina.

In Cleveland, No. 2 seed Alabama will face 15-seed Robert Morris, while 7-seed Saint Mary’s will meet 10-seed Vanderbilt.

And in Seattle, No. 4 seed Alabama meets 13-seed Akron, while No. 5 seed Oregon meets 12th-seeded Liberty.

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