Cooper Flagg’s ACC Tournament is officially over.
The star freshman will not suit up for Saturday’s final against Louisville after sustaining an ankle sprain in Duke’s quarterfinal win over Georgia Tech, head coach Jon Scheyer confirmed Friday.
“All the imaging came back negative, but he sprained it pretty good,” Scheyer said after the Blue Devils defeated rival North Carolina 74-71 to punch their ticket to the final, according to ESPN’s David Hale. “It’s a good sprain. I’m not breaking any news. He’s not going to play (Saturday).”
Flagg turned his ankle as he came down with a defensive rebound in the first half of Tuesday’s matchup. He played just 15 minutes, finishing with two points on 1-of-7 shooting, but he pitched in with four rebounds, two steals, and a block.
The 18-year-old averaged 19.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.3 blocks during the regular season, helping the Blue Devils go 28-3 and set themselves up as the top seed in the ACC Tournament.
Duke will likely be named a regional No. 1 in the NCAA Tournament on Selection Sunday regardless of Saturday’s result. Scheyer said the team is prioritizing having Flagg healthy for the national competition, which could see Duke play again as soon as Thursday.
“Our goal is to have him ready for the tournament,” the coach said. “But we need to see how this weekend goes with the swelling and what he can do.”
Tuesday’s win was Flagg’s first – and likely last – appearance in the ACC Tournament. He’s widely projected to be the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, which will be held on June 25.
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