Duke vs. Louisville: ACC Championship Game Preview

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00:00Tonight we will see the ACC conference championship game being played between Duke and Louisville

00:07Should be no surprise

00:09Should really be no

00:11Controversy around this game Duke big favorite Louisville great season should be a fun one

00:18It would take it out. You know an incredible effort for Louisville to pull off the upset

00:23instead

00:24Cooper flags absence is the story so we will get into it a number that is climbing a little bit on Duke from five

00:30And a half up to six and a half

00:32but flags absence

00:35Came at a time when this team in Duke

00:39Were really struggling against Georgia Tech in their opening game of this conference tournament

00:45They weren't able to turn it around

00:47Found their stroke from deep a law against tech and won that game not going away

00:53I mean certainly not anywhere flirting with covering as a 22 and a half point favorite

00:58But it wasn't a situation where the final possession, you know, the ball was in Georgia Texans. Oh, here we go

01:05That was the case against North Carolina

01:07But initially it was not so the question it for Duke now

01:13Because the only timeline we really have on flag is he won't play tonight

01:19when

01:20Do the Blue Devils?

01:22need

01:23Cooper flag back and that to me coaches is where I want to start with a team that still finds themselves

01:31Largely co-favorites in a lot of spots the expectation is flag will be back. What is your assessment right now around this situation?

01:39Well, you know you got to take it easy with angle and how high he was in the air when he came down

01:43Yeah, it's flat-out scary as a coach. So angles can be tough folks. And I think John Shire did the right thing

01:50He played the long game, right?

01:51Because at the end of the day kept their spot as a number one seed was secured going into the tournament

01:57So what do you do if you're John Shire you talk to the medical staff? He's training. I'm sure he's getting treatment around the clock

02:04They probably have some of the best trainers in the country. If I'm Shire, I'm sitting him through the round of 32

02:10I got I got to get him. I got to get him through another week

02:14Luckily, they play I'm thinking I'm not if it's Greensboro, but this relatively close

02:19They're gonna be the first two rounds of the tournament. So you're not worrying about flying an elevation and ankle blowing back up

02:25I think you take your time

02:27I think you look to give him another week off get him through around the 32

02:31Then you're probably looking at Thursday or Friday

02:34You're playing next and then you have about two to three days of practice to ramp up job to get him ready for sweet 16

02:39I was gonna say sweet 16

02:41I think from the gambling perspective you look at them in terms of the final four minus 145

02:46I'm not making that bet right now Kev just because of the uncertainty or Cooper flag

02:50I think the biggest thing when you saw yesterday for me is that you know

02:53You lose your star player and you're right. They came out a little bit flat against Georgia Tech

02:57But up until that point they had one what like seven straight games by 33 and a half points per game

03:02Maybe they did take G tech a little lightly in terms of the first round. It's possible

03:07But we saw a better perspective about what Cooper flag means to that offense the consistency

03:12Wasn't there from start to finish right? And that's the biggest thing if you're looking big picture on Duke

03:18Do I want to risk the number at minus?

03:21145 or whatever they are once they put up the sweet 16 odds on the Duke Blue Devils

03:26I would rather wait and see because even if he comes back to coaches point

03:31The ankle is such a tricky type of injury cuts off that you know in terms of how you use it in basketball

03:38This is a little bit different

03:39Yeah, then football where you could just tape it up and you're going in a straight line, you know basketball

03:44You're up and down the court jumping

03:45You always have the ability to potentially land on that ankle in a different type of way and injure it again

03:52So I'm a little hesitant at minus 145. I'd be hesitant big picture on Duke

03:57I think when you look at this game, though

03:59I think it does benefit the Blue Devils up against Louisville in the sense

04:04They do now have one game without Cooper flag in that lineup. Maybe it was a feeling out process

04:10We should see a better more consistent effort against the Cardinals tonight and one thing really quick

04:16I want people understand as a coach

04:18Injuries impact with the ankle definitely for

04:21perimeter players than post player

04:24Because in a way that Cooper flag is used in different actions and coming off screens and and playing different ways

04:30It's to me. I think it's easier to come back as a big who doesn't have to do a lot of quick cutting

04:35It's usually in the post

04:36Everything's kind of close to the basket as a regards to reverse pivoting catching jabbing

04:41A lot of that stuff is really hard in an ankle. So I think Joe's right

04:45I think you wait for matchups

04:47You look to see where they're placed and how they go about where you go to bet it because no listen

04:54What happens if you know, maybe John Char may pick and see what happens if a Gonzaga is an eight seed in their region

05:00Do you you try and get them back a game earlier?

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