Cooper Flagg injury update: NCAA's Dan Gavitt shares major news on Duke superstar's March Madness availability

There's some promising news for Cooper Flagg ahead of the NCAA Tournament. While the forward is still out for the Duke Blue Devils ACC Final matchup against the Louisville Cardinals due to an ankle sprain, he should be back in the lineup soon for Jon Scheyer’s team.

On Saturday, in an interview with ESPN, NCAA Senior VP of Basketball Dan Gavitt said there is no indication that the star freshman will be out of the national tournament.

"What we understand from communication with Duke and the ACC, Cooper Flagg will be available for the NCAA Tournament. So don't expect that to impact their seeding," Dan Gavitt said.

The executive mentioned that the NCAA is looking at other players' potential injuries ahead of the tournament. Injuries and player availability play a role in how the committee rates teams ahead of selection Sunday.

Although there is no official word on when Cooper Flagg will be jumping back on the court, Gavitt’s update suggests the forward could be available for the opening round game, scheduled for either Thursday or Friday.

Flagg exited in the first half of the Blue Devils’ ACC Tournament quarterfinal win over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets after rolling up his ankle. It was later revealed he had an ankle sprain and X-rays were negative.

He missed the semifinal win over North Carolina on Friday and will not face the Cardinals in tonight’s conference title game.

"As far as Cooper goes, he's doing better. Sprained ankle, all the imaging came back negative. He sprained it pretty good, though. It's a good sprain. I'm not breaking any news. He's not going to play tomorrow. He can't play," Jon Scheyer said on Friday night.

The top-ranked Blue Devils are expected to receive a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament as they look to win their first national championship since 2015.

Cooper Flagg will not be the only player missing the ACC Final

Naismith National Player of the Year finalist Cooper Flagg isn't the only key player missing from the conference tournament final. Duke forward Malik Brown has also been ruled out for Saturday's game and may require additional time to recover from his injury.

Brown dislocated his shoulder against Georgia Tech and had to be stretchered off and taken to a hospital. While there is no official timeline for his return, the extent of the injury is significant, and might miss the national tournament entirely.

On Louisville’s side, Reyne Smith has missed the last three games for the Cardinals. In Smith’s absence, Louisville has struggled with spacing on the floor. The guard is listed as questionable for the ACC Championship Game.