After leaving Duke's quarterfinal matchup with Wake Forest due to a rolled ankle he suffered when he landed on an opponent's foot, Duke star Cooper Flagg will miss the Blue Devils semifinals showdown with rival North Carolina on Friday, according to Duke's official Twitter page.
Forward Maliq Brown, who provides important bench minutes for Duke, will also miss Friday's game with a shoulder injury.
Injury update | UNC
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 14, 2025
Cooper Flagg - out (ankle)
Maliq Brown - out (shoulder)
Duke is likely locked in as a No. 1 seed in NCAA Tournament
If you're wondering whether a loss to UNC tonight will impact Duke's March Madness seeding — probably not. Duke has been one of the most consistently great teams in the country all season long, and losing a conference tournament semifinal without its best player isn't going to sway the committee into believing the Blue Devils aren't a No. 1 seed.
For North Carolina, a likely must-win probably just turned into a definite must-win. Losing to Duke with Flagg would have been understandable. Losing to Duke without Flagg might be enough to show the Selection Committee this team can't beat high-level teams. Flagg being sidelined makes this game much more winnable for UNC... but it also ratchets up the pressure.
Duke might be playing it safe with Cooper Flagg's injury
A conference tournament championship is cool — a national championship is cooler. And that's what Duke is aiming for this year; to be on top of the college basketball world, not the conference. So while I'm sure Cooper Flagg is telling the coaching staff and trainers that he's "good to go," it's probably in the best interest of the team to rest him tonight (and tomorrow if the Blue Devils win) and get him as much rest as possible before the NCAA Tournament.
Besides, this team isn't full of slouches. A Flagg-less Duke team can still compete for an ACC Tournament championship.