During the first half of their ACC Tournament quarterfinal victory against the No. 8 seed Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, the top-seeded Duke Blue Devils suffered a major setback when star player Cooper Flagg went down with a sprained left ankle. The injury occurred as Flagg landed awkwardly on a Georgia Tech player’s foot while going up for a rebound. With Duke boasting an impressive 29-3 record and on track for a top seed in the NCAA Tournament, many assumed Flagg would be sidelined for the remainder of the ACC Tournament.
On Friday, college basketball insider Adam Zagoria confirmed that Flagg will miss the Blue Devils’ semifinal matchup against their archrival, the No. 5 seed North Carolina Tar Heels. Even if Duke moves on, it’s unlikely that the projected No. 1 NBA draft pick will return for the rest of the tournament. Head coach John Scheyer told Brendan Marks of The Athletic that it would take significant persuasion to let Flagg play before the NCAA Tournament. “To be honest with you, I would have to be convinced by everyone in the locker room when I go back that he should play,” Scheyer said. “It’s not worth it. It just isn’t.”
With Flagg sidelined, Duke will need multiple players to step up and fill the void, as he leads the team in all five major statistical categories. Regardless of the tournament outcome, they are expected to secure a No. 1 seed on Selection Sunday. According to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, they are currently projected as the No. 1 seed in the East (Newark) region. Despite Flagg’s absence, the Blue Devils remain favored to take care of business on Friday, with ESPN BET listing them as 6.5-point favorites against the Tar Heels.