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Duke basketball star Cooper Flagg suffered a scary injury on Thursday during a game against Georgia Tech. The setback sent him to the sidelines for the remainder of action as the Blue Devils battled in ACC Tournament play.
Head coach Jon Scheyer provided an update after the fact. It seems his top player escaped serious injury on the play.
Jon Scheyer confirms that Cooper Flagg sprained his ankle, but X-rays were negative. Says they’ll see how bad the swelling is and go from there, to gauge his response.
— Brendan Marks (@BrendanRMarks) March 13, 2025
X-rays came back negative on Flagg’s ankle, which he sprained while securing a rebound. The forward landed awkwardly on the floor and wound up leaving in a wheelchair.
The exit sparked mass concern throughout the college basketball world. Tensions were somewhat eased when Flagg returned to the bench to cheer on his team.
Despite being ruled out of the game with an ankle injury, Cooper Flagg is on the bench supporting his teammates 👏 pic.twitter.com/USiWVsbrvg
— ESPN (@espn) March 13, 2025
He was seen up and walking after the scary exit, which allowed the Blue Devils to let out a sigh of relief. Luckily, they wouldn’t need him to win the game.
Jon Scheyer provided an update on Cooper Flagg’s future.
It doesn’t sound like the freshman phenom will be back on the court in Charlotte. The coach is leaning towards holding him out of action for the remainder of the ACC 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. It’s not worth it. It just isn’t.”
-Jon Scheyer
The Blue Devils are still battling for the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. Most bracketologists have Auburn slated in that spot at the current moment.
Winning the ACC Championship would only help Duke’s chances of leapfrogging the Tigers, who have yet to play in the SEC Tournament. They’ll likely have to do so without Cooper Flagg.