RALEIGH, N.C. -- Cooper Flagg played a little more than 22 minutes in his return to action following an ankle injury last week, and No. 1 seed Duke cruised past No. 16 Mount St. Mary's 93-49 in a first-round NCAA tournament game Friday.
Flagg rolled his left ankle in the first half of Duke's ACC tournament opener against Georgia Tech eight days ago and didn't play in the Blue Devils' next two games. Against the Mountaineers, there were no signs that the ankle still was bothering him, and while he wasn't needed for any late-game heroics, he did put up 14 points and seven rebounds.
"We were ready for him to play more, but I think the way it worked out obviously was really good," Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. "But we were prepared for him to play as many minutes as he needed to."
Flagg eschewed any serious concerns over the ankle, saying it had been "a plan" for him to return for this game all along and that he entered Friday's matchup "100 percent and comfortable." He showed off his mobility early on a fast break, and after the game was over, he said the ankle was no worse for the wear. Flagg added that he wouldn't require any special treatment to be ready for Sunday's showdown with No. 9 seed Baylor.
"We just put a plan in place," Flagg said. "We have phases, a strategy of just getting back, getting prepared and being ready."
Scheyer said Flagg worked extensively on the pool treadmill to stay in shape over the past week. He added that playing Friday was good for Flagg to shake off any rust and noted that the performance -- which also included four assists and two blocks -- was a good sign for him moving forward.
Also Friday, Kon Knueppel appeared to get banged up in the second half and received treatment on the sideline, but Scheyer downplayed any injury concerns and said the freshman guard will be fine for Sunday.