Cooper Flagg Injures Ankle, Status in Question for ACC Tournament and Beyond

• The Duke Blue Devils are co-favorites to win the NCAA Tournament in 2025, largely because of star freshman Cooper Flagg.
• Flagg was named the ACC Rookie and Player of the Year for a phenomenal season.
• However, Flagg’s status for the rest of the ACC Tournament, and even March Madness, is in question because of an ankle injury.

The Duke Blue Devils are one of the biggest names in college basketball, but they haven’t won a national title since 2015. Heading into this year’s NCAA Tournament, they are one of the favorites to win it all.

Much of their success is due to freshman Cooper Flagg, who could win the national Player of the Year award after sweeping the ACC. But Flagg’s status is in question now because of an ankle injury he suffered against Georgia Tech’s in Duke’s opening ACC Tournament game.

Flagg Suffers Ankle Injury in First Half of ACC Tournament Game, Doesn’t Return

Flagg suffered the injury in the first half of Duke’s 78-70 win over Georgia Tech in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday, which was the Blue Devils’ first game as they’re the #1 seed.

The Blue Devils managed to hang on as Kon Knueppel stepped up in Flagg’s absence with a game-high 28 points, while Isaiah Evans and Khaman Maluach had 14 apiece. But after the game, Flagg’s injury was the story. After the game, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer said:

"It's not about being ready to go tomorrow. 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 long shot, a real long shot."

The Blue Devils are set to tip off against their rivals, North Carolina, on Friday night. Flagg is coming off a masterful season in which he won ACC Rookie and Player of the Year. The star freshman is also favored to win the national Player of the Year. There are also Cooper Flagg odds out on whether the Maine native will return to Duke or leave for the NBA Draft, where he is the consensus #1 pick.  

But he’s probably not going to play against the Tar Heels, who will be out for revenge after a pair of Flagg-led losses to the Blue Devils this season. There is a good chance Flagg won’t play for the rest of the ACC Tournament, and now you have to think really hard about Duke’s March Madness betting odds.

What Does Flagg’s Injury Mean for the Blue Devils?

Flagg is a popular choice among college basketball player props, and the Blue Devils were favored to win the NCAA Tournament. But some online sportsbooks have dropped them to co-favorites, alongside Auburn, which shows how important Flagg is to the Blue Devils. It’s also worth mentioning that Duke lost Maliq Brown to a shoulder injury. He’s a terrific defender for the Blue Devils, who were sixth in the country in points allowed.

These losses lead to skepticism about Duke’s chances. They’re currently the #1 overall seed for the NCAA Tournament, and even if they don’t win it, Duke should still be one of the four #1 seeds, at least. But without Flagg, and also Brown, there will be people jumping off the Blue Devils’ bandwagon. Without their star player, Duke is a good team, maybe a very good team. But with Flagg, they’re a great team worthy of the status of March Madness favorites.

Don’t be shocked if Flagg sits the rest of the conference tournament. Scheyer and the Duke faithful will want Flagg to be as healthy as possible before the NCAA Tournament starts next Thursday.