Duke basketball provided a pivotal update on Thursday. Ahead of their first round matchup against No. 16 Mount St. Mary's on Friday, Cooper Flagg, who has been dealing with an injury, will be active for No. 1 Duke. Flagg is arguably the best player in college basketball and is expected to be selected first overall in the upcoming NBA Draft. For now, he will focus on helping the Blue Devils in the NCAA Tournament.

Flagg revealed how he is feeling ahead of the game, via Brendan Marks of The Athletic.

“I'm feeling pretty good,” Flagg said. “We have an incredible training staff. We've been working through the steps of getting back to 100 percent.”

Duke men's basketball enjoyed a terrific regular season as Cooper Flagg led the way. However, Flagg previously suffered an ankle injury, which led to uncertainty about his status for the first round of the NCAA tournament. There were rumors suggesting that Duke could rest Flagg in the first round as he recovers from the injury.

However, as the team announced on Thursday, the star forward will be available against Mount St. Mary's.

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Cooper Flagg set to lead Duke basketball in NCAA Tournament

Flagg, 18, has averaged 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks per outing in the 2024-25 season. Additionally, Flagg is shooting 48.8 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from beyond the arc. His freshman campaign has been impressive to say the least.

Flagg's basketball future is extremely bright. He has yet to declare for the NBA Draft, but if he does indeed make the decision to move on from college basketball, Flagg will likely be selected first overall. The Duke star already appears to be ready for the NBA.

Of course, Cooper Flagg would love to end his college career with a national championship. Flagg and Duke basketball will go head-to-head with Mount St. Mary's at 2:50 PM EST on Friday.