‘No way he should play’: Stephen A. Smith makes his stance clear on Cooper Flagg returning for first round of March Madness

East region No. 1 seed Duke confirmed on Sunday that star forward Cooper Flagg will be available for the NCAA Tournament, with coach Jon Scheyer saying "the goal is for Friday," when the Blue Devils play their first-round game.

However, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith made a case for top-ranked Duke (31-3) to be cautious with Flagg, saying that the Blue Devils have enough talent to advance from their first game in March Madness without him.

“I don't care if holy water was sprinkled on this brother's ankle, he shouldn't play Friday," Smith said on "First Take" on Monday. “He shouldn't play in that first-round game against the 16th seed.

"If the Duke Blue Devils can't beat the 16th seed without Cooper Flagg, you don't deserve to be in the tournament”.

Smith reminded everyone that Duke won an ACC Tournament semifinal (against North Carolina on Thursday) and the championship game (against 13th-ranked Louisville on Saturday) without its star, who sprained his right ankle Thursday against Georgia Tech.

“You can go out there and beat the 16th seed and buy Cooper Flagg two additional days of rest for the rest of the NCAA Tournament," Smith said. "No way he should play that first game. It's no way.”

Duke coach positive about Cooper Flagg’s involvement in Friday’s clash

The Blue Devils will face the winner of Wednesday's matchup between the American Eagles (22-12) and Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers (22-12) on Friday in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Duke coach Jon Scheyer is optimistic about freshman Cooper Flagg's involvement in the game.

“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 ACC Tournament win against Louisville.

Flagg was active after the victory, climbing up the ladder to cut a piece of the net during the celebration.

The guard was not only Duke's best player in terms of productivity but his durability was also commendable, starting all 32 games before suffering the injury.