The Duke basketball team will not have Cooper Flagg available tonight for its ACC Tournament Semifinal matchup against North Carolina.
The Blue Devils made the announcement moments ago on social media. Backup center and defensive standout Maliq Brown will also be missing the game after re-dislocating his shoulder in Thursday’s quarterfinal victory over Georgia Tech.
Flagg suffered a sprained ankle late in the first half against the Yellow Jackets and had to be helped off the floor by two teammates. He would be put in a wheelchair to be transported to the X-Ray room where tests were negative.
The good news was that the ACC Player of the Year returned to the Duke bench for the second half under his own power and was not wearing an ankle brace or a walking boot.
Duke has not provided any further updates if Flagg would be available for the ACC Tournament Championship if the Blue Devils were to defeat North Carolina or next week’s NCAA Tournament.
Jon Scheyer said following the game that it would be “a long shot” for Flagg to play in the semifinals and it is “not worth it” to risk his health in the conference tournament.
The Blue Devils will miss Cooper Flagg against the Tar Heels, a team he has shined against this season, after he averaged 18.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 3.0 blocks, and 1.5 steals per contest in two matchups against North Carolina this season on 41.4-percent shooting from the field and 44.4-percent from 3-point range.
Duke saw its other freshmen shine in the absence of Flagg as Kon Knueppel poured in 28 points in the 78-70 victory while Isaiah Evans and Khaman Maluach each finished with 14 points.
Tipoff of the ACC Tournament Semifinal between the two rivals is slated for 7:00 p.m. ET (ESPN) while the ACC Tournament Championship is Saturday evening (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) in Charlotte.