The college basketball world seemingly stopped spinning when Cooper Flagg went down with a left ankle injury in the first half of Duke’s ACC tournament quarterfinal win over Georgia Tech on Thursday.
The freshman phenom was helped to the locker room, then later spotted in a wheelchair, and ultimately did not return for the second half. The Blue Devils also lost Maliq Brown, who was taken to the hospital after suffering a shoulder injury.
Duke coach Jon Scheyer told the media that Flagg’s X-rays were negative, indicating it’s a sprain, but that it’s a “real long shot” that he returns for Friday’s semifinal. With uncertainty around the status of both players, Jeff Borzello, Joe Lunardi and Myron Medcalf weigh in on what these developments could mean for the Blue Devils on Selection Sunday and beyond.
How could Duke’s seeding be impacted if Cooper Flagg’s status is uncertain on Sunday night?
Joe Lunardi: The selection committee will wait as long as possible for information and adjust Duke’s bracket position accordingly. If he does not return in the ACC tournament, like Scheyer indicated, but with a prognosis of playing early in the NCAA tournament, my guess is the Blue Devils will retain their likely No. 1 seed — it would take a near-certain absence of Flagg’s services for that to change.
Jeff Borzello: If Duke wins the ACC tournament without Flagg, there won’t be much of a question here. But if the Blue Devils lose in Friday’s semifinals — and Houston, Florida and Michigan State each win their conference tournaments — could that potentially drop them to the 2-seed line? It seems unlikely, but the committee will have to hope there are more answers than questions by Sunday night.
Myron Medcalf: Earlier this week, Bubba Cunningham — North Carolina’s athletic director and chair of the selection committee — said it’s important to note that every member has a different set of criteria they prioritize on Selection Sunday. That said, if we get information that Flagg’s ankle injury could linger, it could impact the conversation about the overall No. 1 seed. Barring any update that would indicate Flagg could be out for a long stretch, it’s doubtful that this news would erase Duke’s complete body of work from the season and strip the Blue Devils of that top seed.
Scheyer said it’s a “real long shot” that Flagg plays in Friday’s semifinals. If you’re Scheyer, would you consider sitting Flagg for Saturday’s final, too?
Borzello: I might go a step further and sit him until the second round of the NCAA tournament, depending how things look in the coming days and next week. As mentioned above, it’s unlikely the Blue Devils will lose their spot on the 1-seed line — and they probably shouldn’t need Flagg to dispatch a 16-seed in the first round of the tournament. But that all will depend on what Flagg’s ankle looks like by Friday morning and how he can manage the swelling and pain.
Medcalf: Absolutely. Scheyer is also likely thinking about Flagg’s future at the next level — there is no reason for him to play another game until the second round of the NCAA tournament. That would give him more than a week to rest. And Duke would be fine until then. Still, it’s worth reiterating that we don’t know enough to understand the severity of the injury and what it might mean for Flagg and Duke.
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How would Flagg’s and Brown’s potential absences impact Duke’s game plan?
Borzello: It would really diminish Duke’s frontcourt. At full strength, the Blue Devils have a near-perfect rotation — a balanced starting five, veterans and an instant-impact scorer on the bench, plus size and fouls down low. Flagg’s absence would obviously hurt Duke all over the court, given his playmaking ability at the offensive end and his off-ball awareness on the defensive side. Mason Gillis would see a bigger role with Flagg out, as could freshman scorer Isaiah Evans, simply from a shotmaking perspective. But Brown missing time again would force Scheyer to utilize freshman big man Patrick Ngongba, who did play well against Georgia Tech on Thursday but is relatively unproven this season.
Medcalf: The stretch without Brown earlier this season demonstrated some of the defensive issues this team has without him. Go back to the win over Auburn in Dec. 4: Scheyer said Brown played a pivotal role in that game because he could guard Johni Broome, which meant Duke didn’t have to create any odd scheme or switch on defense, or put Flagg in a vulnerable spot for foul trouble. Brown had it covered. That’s how much he means to this team. Players like him are critical in the postseason, but Flagg is the best player in America — Duke is a different team without him. Yes, the Blue Devils will still have lottery picks on their roster, but they’re not Final Four good without Flagg. More than anything, they would need players like Gillis and Ngongba to log more minutes. And Kon Knueppel would have to be the offensive catalyst for this crew, alongside Tyrese Proctor, until Flagg’s return.
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Could Flagg’s injury impact awards races?
Borzello: Broome’s momentum toward a runaway Wooden Award campaign was halted when he suffered an ankle injury in mid-January, opening the door for Flagg to take the lead in this race (although Flagg’s historically good month of January would have created an intense debate regardless). Whether the injury will impact voting — which, for the Wooden Award, closes after the first weekend of the NCAA tournament — really depends on the severity of the injury and how much time Flagg ultimately misses. Broome was expected to miss multiple weeks but ended up being sidelined for just two games. As of now, I personally still lean Flagg.
Medcalf: Voters are literally making their final decisions about the Wooden Award as we speak, but most have likely made their choices by now. We’ve watched Broome and Flagg compete for the “best player in America” title for the last four-plus months. Broome has been great, but Flagg has been the most impactful player in the country. If he’s out for an extended period, it might affect the vote for those who have decided that the results of Champ Week and the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament will impact their decisions. But remember: Kenyon Martin suffered a broken leg during Cincinnati’s quarterfinal game in its conference tournament 25 years ago, and he still won the Wooden Award, though that season’s race also wasn’t as close as this one between Broome and Flagg.
