CHARLOTTE — Duke basketball coach Jon Scheyer says “it’s trending in a great way” for Cooper Flagg to be available for the NCAA Tournament.

“I think it’s trending in a great way where Cooper will be ready to go right away in the NCAA Tournament,” Scheyer said after the top-ranked Blue Devils earned a 73-62 win against Louisville in the championship game of the ACC Tournament.

Flagg, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, leads Duke (31-3) in each of its five major statistical categories. He started in each of the Blue Devils’ 32 games before missing the final two games of the ACC Tournament.

Following the title-clinching win against Louisville, Flagg was the third player to climb up the ladder and cut off a piece of the net in celebration.

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Duke, which swept the ACC titles, is projected to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils are the overwhelming favorite to be the top seed in the East Region, which would put them in Raleigh for the first two rounds. If it wins at the Lenovo Center, Duke would play at the East Regional in Newark, New Jersey.

Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to [email protected].