The Duke basketball team might have avoided a worst case scenario situation regarding the left ankle injury of superstar freshman Cooper Flagg.
Flagg turned his ankle with 2:46 remaining in the first half and immediately went to the Blue Devil bench before being helped back to the locker room by two teammates without putting any weight on his leg.
Shortly after he got into the tunnel, officials put Flagg in a wheelchair to be examined further at halftime as Duke trailed Georgia Tech during the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament, 31-26.
The team ruled him doubtful to return as standout backup center Maliq Brown was also injured in the first half, reaggravating his previously dislocated shoulder and ruled out for the game.
However, the good news for Duke was that Flagg was able to walk out of the examining room near the Blue Devil locker room on his own power.
According to WCNC’s Nick Carboni, Flagg was trying to get loose and test his ankle for a potential return to the game for the second half, but the Blue Devils determined the freshman would not play again on Thursday afternoon.
Flagg did make his way to the Duke bench and was not wearing a walking boot, a great sign for his potential availability in either the remainder of the ACC Tournament or in next week’s NCAA Tournament.
Cooper Flagg is back up and walking but is ruled out for the rest of the game with an ankle injury. pic.twitter.com/94bgnTHgwy
— ESPN (@espn) March 13, 2025
Cooper Flagg struggled in the first half, as did much of the Blue Devils, scoring just two points on 1-of-7 shooting as Duke dug as 14-point hole in the first half. Flagg’s teammates would rally behind him to begin the second half on a 12-0 run and take the lead over the Yellow Jackets.
If Duke defeated Georgia Tech, it would play either Wake Forest or North Carolina on Friday night (7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN) in the ACC Tournament Semifinals.