As everyone has probably heard, Duke basketball freshman superstar Cooper Flagg sustained an ankle injury during the Blue Devils' 78-70 ACC Tournament quarterfinals victory over Georgia Tech yesterday.
Please don’t take Cooper Flagg away from us a week before the tournament
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) March 13, 2025
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Obviously, Duke fans and fans around all of college basketball were in dismay at the idea that Flagg could be gone a week before the NCAA Tournament, especially leading a Duke team that had true national title aspirations.
However, positive news has come out in regards to Flagg's X-rays and it seems he will be ready to go for the NCAA Tournament.
Flagg' X-rays came back negative, meaning there was no significant damage. This is a huge sign for the Duke basketball program to hopefully get Flagg back totally healthy for the start of the NCAA Tournament.
However, it does seem unlikely we will see Flagg in the ACC Tournament again. After Duke's win over the Yellow Jackets yesterday, Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer said it was "not worth it" to play Flagg through any sort of injury.
"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."
"I would have to be 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,"
In an extremely weak ACC, it probably isn't worth it to play Flagg. This afternoon, the Blue Devils do have a huge rematch in the ACC semifinals against North Carolina, the third meeting between the two squads this season.
Duke has won both matchups between the two schools, with Duke winning 87-70 at Cameron Indoor and 82-69 in Chapel Hill.
The Blue Devils will be without their superstar today against a UNC team with really nothing to lose, making it a bit of an upset scenario for Duke. The Tar Heels are likely in a "win and in" situation today, meaning if they beat Duke, they will likely be in the NCAA Tournament. But with a loss, the program will likely miss the big dance altogether.
The Blue Devils have dealt with injuries through the season to contributors such as Tyrese Proctor and Maliq Brown, but their superstar in Flagg hasn't missed a game until now. This is a big test for Duke to see if it can win without its star player.