“In my mind, it’s full steam ahead. I wanna get Coop back as soon as we can, and he wants to do the same,” Duke’s head coach Jon Scheyer said before their March Madness opener against Mount St. Mary’s. Duke fans were eager to see Cooper Flagg return—and after they took home the ACC tournament title, who wouldn’t be? Even without Flagg available for part of Duke’s ACC tournament run, Tyrese Proctor and Sion James took center stage. While fresh faces like freshmen Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach bolstered the Blue Devils’ depth. But the question remains- how ready is Flagg?

However, there still seem to be doubts surrounding his recovery. Graham Hill from ESPN 99.9 The Fan revealed that Flagg’s recovery may not be as smooth as fans would hope. “He went through his first full practice on Wednesday. He did not have the best shoot-around yesterday. As someone who was in attendance at Lenovo Center noted during their open practice. There were a couple of times when he actually appeared to get frustrated with himself.” Hill said. “Maybe it’s just because it’s his first time back; it’s his second time stepping on the court in about a week since the Georgia Tech injury. But I don’t know—it’s something to keep an eye on regarding him finding his rhythm.”

Interestingly, though, even if Flagg isn’t immediately up to par, Duke’s stacked talent could mitigate any early missteps.

“Let’s be honest. Even if Cooper Flagg gets off to a slow start, this Duke team can afford it with how many four- and five-star recruits they have to carry the weight.” Hill said. Now, just seeing how well Duke played without Flagg speaks to this team’s incredible depth. The Blue Devils went 2-0 in the ACC Tournament without him, further indicating that they don’t need to rely on any one player to shoulder the offensive load.

The Blue Devils’ offensive rating of 128 points per 100 possessions makes them one of the country’s most efficient teams. Talking about carrying the team, Tyrese Proctor and Khaman Maluach stepped up in incredible ways, with Proctor taking control of the offense and Maluach anchoring the defense. The best surprise? The emergence of freshman Kon Knueppel. He took on a larger scoring role and helped run the offense in place of Flagg.

But here’s the thing: Though Duke swept through ACC play without Flagg, the NCAA tournament is a different kind of grind. The size, pace and stakes of the tournament reflect a different kind of competition that Duke has yet to face. And yet, even with Flagg sidelined, the Blue Devils’ ability to adjust showcases how deep this team truly is.

With so much support around him, Duke can make noise in March Madness — just be on the lookout for how Flagg rebounds.

Cooper Flagg’s return: Game changer for Duke’s March Madness run?

If Flagg is back to full strength, Duke will have a major weapon in their hands. His elite two-way play, in combination with Duke’s already stacked roster, will cause nightmares for any team they face in the tournament. Experts and oddsmakers alike (specifically BetMGM) still have the Blue Devils as one of the teams to beat at +350 odds to win it all, despite Auburn being ranked as the number one seed. Duke is the clear favorite because of the talent that they have, especially if Flagg is playing like his usual self.

But in a way, Cooper Flagg’s time away during the ACC Tournament forced Coach Scheyer to be flexible with his rotation options. Freshman Patrick Ngongba II had a standout performance, scoring 25 points and tallying 12 rebounds across the two games. Kon Knueppel took on an expanded role as a scorer as well. Some players, like Ngongba, benefited from increased minutes, while others had to increase their output. And though Scheyer said, “We had some lineups in there we hadn’t had. Some of the execution and timing probably wasn’t to the level I’d want it to be,” that didn’t prevent his team from performing well.

Of course, Scheyer admitted how he missed having Flagg. He praised Cooper for how he navigates around the defenders, which adds great value to the winning time. This is where Duke’s depth comes into action. It was up to guys like Kon Knueppel and Tyrese Proctor to make up for what they missed in Flagg. Duke has the depth to hang without Flagg, but there is no denying the luxury of having him on the floor.

As Duke journeys into March Madness, the lingering question will be if they can win it all with or without Flagg. Well, the answer to that question is uncertain. But this Blue Devils team has proven it’s one not to be taken lightly, and certainly if Flagg does give it a go, any opponent that stands in their way will have a tough challenge. It’s going to be a great ride either way.