Cooper Flagg, the superstar freshman at Duke, appeared to roll his ankle following a rebound in the first half of their game against Georgia Tech. Duke trailed 26-17 at the time of the injury. Following the injury, Flagg needed help getting off the floor and headed toward the locker room with about one minute to play in the first half. When receiving treatment, he screamed in agony and couldn’t walk on his own. With his incredible season, Duke cannot afford Cooper Flagg’s injury to be longer than a week.
The close up of Cooper Flagg’s injury is nasty. Hope he’s okay. pic.twitter.com/4tdoQGzvvs
— College Basketball Content (@CBBcontent) March 13, 2025
Cooper Flagg Injured in First Half: What’s Next for Duke
The ACC Tournament Outlook
The injury didn’t look good. The ACC Tournament would be a great thing to achieve for the Blue Devils, but they need him for the NCAA Tournament. I would imagine Duke would be extremely cautious with their superstar freshman. Flagg is necessary for this team to reach its goals. They will receive a one-seed, so they will need Flagg as healthy as possible going into the tournament. Duke may still be able to win the ACC Tournament in a weak ACC, but they will not win a national championship without him. John Scheyer gets paid to make the tough decisions, and this should be one he makes. Flagg cannot be risked in this tournament.
NCAA Tournament Outlook
Ankle injuries are extremely difficult to judge. Flagg was injured in the first half on Thursday. They will play either Thursday or Friday next week. One week could be enough time to get him healthy, but there may be a possibility he is on serious minutes restrictions going into the NCAA Tournament. While Duke is struggling to face Georgia Tech, they will face much harder competition in the NCAA Tournament. Since his debut, Flagg has dominated the ACC and even helped lead Duke to a huge win against Auburn. Flagg steps up in the biggest moments. Flagg will step up in the NCAA Tournament. One question remains: will he even get the opportunity to play?
The whole world sees quarterbacks play with an injured ankle, but the QB position is certainly not a basketball game. They don’t run back and forth on a hard floor. Flagg runs down the floor and plays consistently tough and gritty defense while jumping through the roof on offense. Flagg may need more than one week to make the return, leaving Duke with two games against tournament-level teams without their superstar.
Cooper Flagg is in a wheelchair being taken to get examined. pic.twitter.com/qH1DCIOwCV
— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) March 13, 2025
The Last Word on Cooper Flagg’s Injury
The broadcast showed Cooper Flagg in a wheelchair at halftime before returning to the sideline without a boot. However, the signs do not look good for Flagg this week. This must strive to dominate the ACC without their superstar. Flagg’s injury will push aside any ACC championship aspirations. Duke fans will look forward to the NCAA Tournament, hoping the Blue Devils can survive without him. Cooper Flagg’s injury is the most important development during Duke’s season. All they can hope for now is a speedy recovery. Without him, their dominant season will be for nothing.
Photo credit: © Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
