- Per John Ewing of BetMGM, Duke was the most-bet team on Thursday as a 23.5-point favorite. The Blue Devils won by eight after Cooper Flagg’s first-half injury.
- The Blue Devils got more than they bargained for in their ACC tournament opener, but they survived and will face the winner of Wake Forest-North Carolina on Friday.
- The bigger question is the severity of Cooper Flagg’s ankle injury and how long he’ll be out.
- The Blue Devils are firing on all cylinders now. After an alley-oop from Kon Knueppel to Khaman Maluach, Isaiah Evans drilled a 3-pointer to push Duke’s lead to double digits.
- The Yellow Jackets stopped the bleeding and are still hanging in there after Duke’s blitz out of the break.
- The Blue Devils are shooting the ball much better in the second half after missing their first 13 3-point attempts and going 36.7% from the field in the opening 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in on-court action, the Blue Devils scored the first 12 points out of the locker room and have taken the lead early in the second half. Kon Knueppel and Sion James hit 3s as Duke is finally finding the mark from deep.
- That’s one way to respond after losing your star player.
Cooper Flagg has emerged from the Hornets X-ray room, still in a wheelchair. His left ankle is heavily swollen.
— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) March 13, 2025
Injury updates: Maliq Brown (left shoulder) – out
Cooper Flagg (left ankle) – doubtful to return
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 13, 2025
- The ESPN broadcast is now showing Cooper Flagg off his feet, being wheeled in a wheelchair to get examined:
- The Blue Devils cut into the GT lead late in the half, but the bigger concern is the health of Cooper Flagg. He had to be helped into the locker room just before the break.
- Flagg headed to the Duke bench after he blocked Duncan Powell’s layup attempt late in the first half.
- After Flagg denied Powell at the rim, the Blue Devils transitioned up court and Isaiah Evans nailed Duke’s first three-pointer of the game.
- Flagg would need assistance as he headed back to Duke’s locker room with the first half coming to a close.
- With 3:56 left in the first half, Georgia Tech is up 26-12 and Duke’s poor shooting is the story.
- The Blue Devils are 26% from the field and 0-for-13 from 3-point range. Cooper Flagg has just two points on 1-of-3 shooting.
- Georgia Tech’s Baye Ndongo and Duncan Powell lead all players with nine points.
- The Red Storm have stormed out to an 18-3 lead against the Bulldogs through the opening eight minutes.
- RJ Luis leads all players with 8 points, while Kadary Richmond, who recorded the program’s first triple-double since 1999 over the weekend, has 5 points.
- The No. 1 seed Blue Devils trail 16-8 through the opening 8:31 of the first half.
- Duke, ranked eighth nationally and tops in ACC heading into Thursday with a 38.7% success rate from 3-point range are 0-for 8 so far against Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets, meanwhile, are 3-for-5 from distance with Duncan Powell 3-for-4 and leading the way with 9 points.
- Over in the Big East, St. John’s leads Butler early. The winner will move on to Friday’s semifinals and play the winner of Marquette and Xavier at Madison Square Garden.
- No.1 Duke and Georgia Tech are about to tip off in what is likely Cooper Flagg’s first and only ACC tournament. The winner of today’s game will meet Wake Forest or North Carolina in Friday night’s semifinals.
- Click the photo above to read the story. (Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
- Click the photo above to read the story. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
