CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Duke superstar freshman Cooper Flagg sprained his left ankle late in the first half of the Blue Devils’ quarterfinal win over Georgia Tech on Thursday at the ACC tournament.
Duke coach Jon Scheyer said Flagg’s x-rays were negative, but called the prospects of Flagg playing this weekend “a real long shot.”
“It’s not worth it. It just isn’t,” Scheyer said. “It’s not about being ready to go tomorrow. That’s not the most important thing for us. We’ve got to see if we can get him right for this run that we can make in the tournament.”
Flagg, a national player of the year candidate and potential top overall pick in the NBA draft, appeared to roll the ankle as he came down with a rebound with 2:46 left in the first half. He was helped back to the locker room and was later seen being taken, by wheelchair, to be evaluated.
Flagg returned to the Duke bench in the second half, appearing in good spirits but not putting his full weight on his left foot. The 6-foot-9, 205-pounder entered the day averaging 19.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.
Flagg struggled in the 15 minutes he played Thursday, scoring two points and grabbing four rebounds before the injury. He was 1 for 7 shooting and 0 for 3 from 3-point range.
Earlier this week he was named both the ACC’s player and rookie of the year.
The Blue Devils, who trailed 26-17 at the time of Flagg’s injury, rallied from there, going on to a 78-70 win. They will play North Carolina, a 68-59 winner over Wake Forest in the day’s second quarterfinal. Duke has won both meetings by margins of 17 and 13 points.
“Duke is going to handle business all the time,” said 6-foot-6 freshman guard Isaiah Evans. “That’s what we came here to do, we came here to play ball. No matter the circumstances, whatever happens throughout the game, we’re going to keep playing.”
Flagg’s status is to be determined. Duke isn’t likely to have 6-foot-9 junior forward Maliq Brown.
Brown — a key defensive cog for the Blue Devils — suffered a left shoulder injury about two minutes before Flagg went down, reinjuring the same shoulder he dislocated in a 80-62 win over Virginia on Feb. 17. As Flagg was returning to the sideline, Brown — a transfer from Syracuse — was being wheeled by stretcher in the bowels of the Spectrum Center, then taken to an area hospital.
Scheyer declined to speculate about the severity of Brown’s injury or a timetable for his return.
“Obviously, he’s going to miss time no matter what,” Scheyer said. “I mean, this is going to be — is there a chance at some point? I would hope so. But my main concern is just seeing him in such pain. I would hate to speculate without really knowing.”
