Cooper Flagg and the Duke Blue Devils ran through the ACC in the regular season and were primed to do so in the ACC Tournament. But during Thursday's quarterfinal opener against Georgia Tech, they got off to one of the worst starts imaginable that only got worse when Flagg went down due to injury.
Late in the first half as Duke tried to fight back from an early deficit, Flagg went up for a defensive rebound and came down in a crowded lane. His ankle rolled awkwardly and the star went down into a heap in clear pain.
Flagg then tried to stand up but couldn't put weight on the ankle, getting help from teammates and trainers to the bench and the sidelines to be further evaluated in a scary scene as the arena went deathly quiet.
Cooper Flagg is headed to the locker room after an apparent ankle injury🙏
— On3 (@On3sports) March 13, 2025
(via ESPN)https://t.co/Fz2Ip5EbvP pic.twitter.com/co0h3j5Mtj
After being further evaluated, Flagg was then helped to the locker room prior to the end of the first half, still unable to put weight on the ankle and with Duke fans entering panic mode. He was also then shown during halftime being escorted in a wheelchair in the back of the arena.
Cooper Flagg injures ankle, leaves Duke's ACC Tournament opener to locker room
Update: Duke head coach Jon Scheyer spoke with the media after the Blue Devils secured the win in the quarterfinals over Georgia Tech and confirmed that X-rays on Flagg's ankle, thankfully, came back negative. Scheyer and the Blue Devils are calling the injury a sprain and that his status and the swelling will have to be monitored moving forward through the rest of the ACC Tournament and into March Madness as well.
Update: The speculation on the broadcast was that the wheelchair for Flagg was to take him back to get X-rays on the injured ankle to determine if he suffered any sort of fracture. While the Duke freshman was ruled out for the rest of the matchup against Georgia Tech, he was able to walk back under his own power, albeit gingerly, and resume his place on the bench with the rest of the Blue Devils.
Original Post: It remains to be seen as to the severity of the ankle injury for Flagg but the fact that he was taken to the locker room for further tests and evaluation before the end of the half is not a good sign. We'll continue to monitor the situation.
Losing Flagg could have devastating consequences for Duke as the NCAA Tournament looms. What happens in the ACC Tournament for the Blue Devils is all but irrelevant outside of potentially determining whether Jon Scheyer's team gets a No. 1 seed or a No. 2 seed. However, this is a program with national championship aspirations with Flagg on the floor. Without him, that ceiling is significantly lower.
Moreover, the ACC Tournament quarterfinal matchup with the Yellow Jackets was already looking like a nightmare. Duke opened the game going 0-for-13 from 3-point range to find themselves up against a double-digit deficit. They chipped away at that to only trail by five at the break but the Flagg injury was also preceded by veteran forward and role player Maliq Brown exiting the game and going to the locker room with an injury of his own.
How badly Flagg injured the ankle leaves quite a lot hanging in the balance for Duke. The scenes in Charlotte don't paint an optimistic picture, but we'll be sure to keep you updated with any information on the star freshman's status and health.