“He’s doing better,” Blue Devils coach Jon Scheyer has said, confirming Flagg would not play in the ACC title game. When freshman star Cooper Flagg hobbled off the floor, Duke collectively gasped. Flagg’s injury has now elevated the level of concern for Jon Scheyer’s Blue Devils before the NCAA tournament. Cooper Flagg’s playmaking has captured college basketball and created an endless loop of highlights. But for Duke, Flagg’s injury leaves a massive hole to fill ahead of the big dance.
That said, ESPN’s Pete Thamel had some cautiously optimistic words, saying, “Will Cooper Flagg play in the first round of the NCAA tournament? You clearly know Duke is a 1 seed; they’re going to play a 16 seed. It’ll be rest and recovery for Cooper Flagg for next week.” Rest certainly appears critical, but he’s not out of the woods just yet.
Interestingly, ESPN analyst Jay Bilas issued a bold wake-up call on ESPN for Flagg’s teammates: “Cooper Flagg’s a little bit different because he essentially played a lot of point guard for them, so it changes everybody’s roles,” said ESPN analyst Jay Bilas. “Usually, the first game back is your best game; the first game without. As you go on, though, it becomes a little more pronounced. I think Duke has a character where some of these players who have played alongside Cooper Flagg can step out of their roles—they’re capable of more. But that means everybody has a changed role, and the question is how they’re going to handle that and mesh together in a short period of time.”
As daunting as that may sound, Duke’s win over UNC showed that Bilas was right — guys did step up, and in big ways, without Cooper Flagg.
This is a developing story…
The post ESPN Push the Panic Button on Duke Nation as Jay Bilas Issues Bold Wake-Up Call for Cooper Flagg’s Teammates appeared first on EssentiallySports.
