Associated Press
Mar 13, 2025, 03:35 PM ET
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Duke coach Jon Scheyer said it's a "real long shot" that freshman star Cooper Flagg will be able to play in the ACC tournament semifinals because of an ankle sprain.
The 6-foot-9 Flagg rolled his left ankle in the first half of the top-ranked Blue Devils' 78-70 quarterfinal win against Georgia Tech. He hobbled off the court before heading to the locker room, then returned to the bench for the second half but didn't play again.
Scheyer said Flagg was already dealing with swelling and said he'd "have to be really convinced we should even consider seeing if he can go" in the semifinals on Friday night.
Scheyer said X-rays showed no fracture for Flagg, the ACC's player and newcomer of the year who averaged 19.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists during the regular season.
"It's not about being ready to go tomorrow," Scheyer said. "That's not the most important thing for us. We've got to see if we can get him right for this run that we can make in the [NCAA] tournament.
"But I would have to be really convinced that we should even consider seeing if he can go (Friday). He may not be able to go anyway. He probably won't be able to go anyway. But I think it's a real longshot, a real longshot."
Flagg wasn't available to speak with reporters afterward because he was receiving treatment for the injury, one of two significant hits the Blue Devils (29-3) took in the first half as they also lost Maliq Brown, who again dislocated his left shoulder and was taken to the hospital.
The question is how long Duke might be without either player, posed with March Madness looming next week.
Duke was projected as the likely No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament coming into the game after taking over the top spot in the rankings this week. The Blue Devils had won eight straight games before the ACC tournament.
The Blue Devils were trailing 26-17 late in the first half when Flagg went up for an uncontested rebound and appeared to have his left foot clip the foot of Georgia Tech's Baye Ndongo as he came down, causing his ankle to roll grotesquely and sending him crashing to the court grabbing at the joint with 2:46 left in the half.
Flagg hobbled back to the bench in clear distress, then bent over with his hands on the seats and pounded a chair with his right fist.
After sitting on the bench for a few minutes, Flagg got up and put his arms around two teammates and was taken to the locker room for observation. He was later shown in a wheelchair in the bowels of the Spectrum Center.
Brown's injury had come moments earlier, at the 4:58 mark at the same defensive end of the court.
The 6-foot-9 Brown is a key reserve and versatile defender who is viewed as a vital cog in Duke's championship hopes. He had returned against North Carolina last weekend after missing about three weeks with a shoulder injury.
