Duke basketball’s Cooper Flagg sustained a left ankle injury late in the first half of the top-ranked Blue Devils’ ACC Tournament opener against Georgia Tech.
The top-ranked Blue Devils earned a 78-70 victory, but did so without Flagg in the second half.
Flagg appeared to roll his left ankle after a rebound with 2:46 left in the first half against the Yellow Jackets. He needed help from teammates to limp off the court toward the bench area. The Devils trailed 31-26 at halftime and Flagg was ruled doubtful for the remainder of the game.
He returned to the bench area with 15:09 left to go and was standing up during the under-16 media timeout. Flagg was wearing his warmup shirt and hugged Khaman Maluach before Maluach returned to the game.
Flagg, who enters the postseason as the ACC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year, was seen being rolled in a wheelchair toward an examining area without a shoe on his left foot during halftime.
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HOW DUKE BEAT GT Cooper Flagg injury overshadows Duke basketball comeback win vs Georgia Tech at ACC Tournament
The projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft enters the tournament leading Duke in every major statistical category. Flagg is averaging 19.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. He had a relatively quiet day by his standards at Georgia Tech, scoring 13 points to go with four rebounds and two assists.
He had two points, four rebounds and two steals in 15 minutes against the Yellow Jackets.
Jon Scheyer provides injury update on Cooper Flagg ankle
Following Duke’s win against Georgia Tech, head coach Jon Scheyer provided an update on Cooper Flagg’s ankle injury.
“Cooper, he just came down, sprained his ankle, X-rays were negative, which is great,” Scheyer said. “We just have to understand there’s going to be swelling and see how he recovers and how he goes from there.”
Will Cooper Flagg play Friday vs UNC or Wake Forest at ACC Tournament?
It’s unclear if Flagg will be available for the Blue Devils against UNC or Wake Forest in Friday’s semifinals. Scheyer says “it’s a real long shot.”
“Well, I already know how he’s wired. And look, to be honest with you, I would have to be, like, convinced by everybody in the locker room when I go back there that he should play. It’s not worth it. It just isn’t,” Scheyer said.
“Again, he was swollen already. It’s not about being ready to go tomorrow. That’s not the most important thing for us. We’ve got to see if we can get him right for this run that we can make in the tournament. But I would have to be really convinced that we should even consider seeing if he can go (Friday). He may not be able to go anyway. He probably won’t be able to go anyway. But I think it’s a real long shot. A real long shot.”
Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to [email protected].
