In other words, there was no way he was going to sit out the top-seeded Blue Devils’ first-round romp over No. 16 seed Mount St. Mary’s on Friday in Raleigh, N.C., short of being on crutches, in a cast or unable to even stand on that left ankle. He had missed the past two games with the injury suffered during the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament but looked comfortable and unbothered in his NCAA Tournament debut.
Flagg posted 14 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks in 22 minutes of the 93-49 rout, finishing a team-best plus-31 before getting an early end to the day with victory in hand.
“Honestly for me, after watching the whole ACC tournament, it was more of just like a plan to just be ready for this game, and we just put a plan in place,” Flagg said. “We have phases, a strategy of just getting back, getting prepared, and being ready.”
The 6-foot-9-inch Flagg is a potential No.1 overall NBA draft pick and was selected unanimously as an Associated Press first-team All-American. His every move was watched closely by home-state fans, his teammates, and coach Jon Scheyer.
“The biggest thing for me was him not pacing, I didn’t want him to pace,” Scheyer said. “Then obviously making sure he was moving, where he wasn’t off-balance of favoring one leg or the other. … We were ready for him to play more. But I think the way it worked out obviously was really good.”
Tyrese Proctor had 19 points to lead Duke (32-3) past the Mountaineers (23-13). In Sunday’s second round, the Blue Devils will meet up with Baylor, a 75-72 winner over Missippi State.
Kyan Evans made a career-high six 3-pointers and scored 23 points to lead No. 12 seed Colorado State past fifth-seeded Memphis, 78-70, in Seattle.
Nique Clifford, the Mountain West tournament MVP, had his quietest scoring night in a month, finishing with 14 points, 8 on free throws. But he added eight rebounds and six assists for the Rams (26-9), who extended their winning streak to 11 games and advanced to the second round of the tournament for the first time since 2013. Colorado State will face Maryland, which beat Grand Canyon, 81-49, in Sunday’s second round.
Dain Dainja had 22 points and 12 rebounds for the Tigers (29-7).
Jalen Lake pitched in with 14 points for Colorado State and Jaylen Crocker-Johnson scored 12.
All-America guard Mark Sears scored 19 of his 22 points in the second half to go with 10 assists and second-seeded Alabama pulled away late to escape 15th-seeded Robert Morris, 90-81, in a first-rounder in Cleveland.
The Colonials (26-9) gave the Crimson Tide (27-8) all they could handle and even took their first lead at 65-64 on a layup by Josh Omojafo to bring the Rocket Arena crowd to its feet. Alabama responded behind Sears, who had 7 points during an 11-2 surge that gave the Crimson Tide breathing room against the Horizon League champions.
The Crimson Tide will face Saint Mary’s in the second round Sunday after the seventh-seeded Gaels rallied past 10th-seeded Vanderbilt, 59-56.
Mouhamed Dioubate finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds in 21 foul-plagued minutes for Alabama.
Sean Pedulla made a critical 3-pointer with 52.8 seconds left in Milwaukee, and Mississippi topped North Carolina, 71-64, in after the Rebels squandered most of a 22-point lead in the second half.
Ole Miss (23-11), the No. 6 seed in the South Region, will chase its first Sweet 16 berth since 2001 when it faces Iowa State on Sunday. Iowa State defeated Lipscomb, 82-55. The Tar Heels (23-14) earned the first-round shot after winning a First Four game over San Diego State.
The Rebels are making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019. They hadn’t won an NCAA tourney game since beating BYU, 94-90, in the First Four in 2015, and they hadn’t advanced beyond the round of 64 since 2013.
Pedulla finished with 20 points and Dre Davis had 15 for the Rebels.
