Duke basketball has been a machine this season, cruising through the ACC on its way to taking the top spot in the AP poll heading into the postseason. However, the Blue Devils’ national title hopes flashed before their eyes on Thursday when star forward Cooper Flagg with down with a nasty ankle injury in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament.
Flagg didn’t play in Friday’s semifinal against North Carolina, but Duke was still able to escape with a 74-71 win despite blowing a 24-point lead. After the game, head coach Jon Scheyer revealed that Flagg will not play in Saturday’s conference championship game against either Clemson or Louisville, according to college basketball insider Jon Rothstein.
“Jon Scheyer told reporters postgame that Duke’s Cooper Flagg (ankle) will not play in Saturday’s ACC Tournament title game,” Rothstein reported on X, formerly Twitter.
Scheyer discussed the extent of Flagg’s injury after the win, per Conor O’Neill of Devils Illustrated.
“As far as Cooper goes, he’s doing better,” Scheyer said, per O’Neill. “Sprained ankle, all the imaging came back negative. He sprained it pretty good, though. It’s a good sprain. I’m not breaking any news. He’s not going to play tomorrow. He can’t play. But our goal is to have him ready for the tournament. But we need to see how this weekend goes with the swelling and what he can do.”
Duke will have its hands full with whoever wins the second semifinal with Flagg out of the lineup. He impacts the game on both ends of the floor arguably more than any other player in college basketball, and you could feel his absence during the second half collapse against the Tar Heels on Friday night.
Without Flagg on the court, North Carolina was able to stifle the Duke offense that had resorted to Kon Knueppel ball screens in the second half. On the other end, the Tar Heels took advantage of the fact that Flagg’s massive frame wasn’t roaming around the court and causing chaos on their way to a comeback.
Thankfully for the Blue Devils, North Carolina big man Jae’Lyn Withers committed a lane violation on a potential game-tying free throw, allowing Duke to still escape with the win.
It will be much more difficult for Scheyer and company to knock off Clemson (who gave Duke its only loss of the season in ACC play) or Louisville, who only lost two games in league play this season, without Flagg. For the season, the ACC Player of the Year averaged 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game while growing into a superstar’s role on both ends of the floor over the course of the year.
Duke will certainly be hoping that Flagg can return for the NCAA Tournament, which will tip off on either Thursday or Friday for the Blue Devils.
The post Duke’s Jon Scheyer reveals Cooper Flagg’s ACC title game status after ankle injury appeared first on ClutchPoints.
