Duke star Cooper flag was discovered in a wheelchair to get further examinations on the ankle after a scary case in Duke’s ACC tournament game against Georgia Tech.
With just under three minutes left in the first half of Duke’s Quarter final game, flag took a rebound, landed difficult, fell hard and immediately seized his ankle.
He helped with his feet but needed help from teammates to limp by the court. From there, coach flagged helped to get to the intestines at the stadium, where he was placed in a wheelchair without his shoe undergoing further investigations into his leg damage in Duke’s dressing room.
Flag did not return to start the second half for Blue Devils, and it has not yet been an official statement about his injury status. He is excluded for the rest of Thursday afternoon’s game but returned to the bench during the second half without a luggage space, which was an encouraging sight for Duke fans everywhere.
Of course, regardless of difficulty, this damage is a major blow to Duke. Flag is a big part of its 28-3 record, and the expected No. 1 Overall NBA draft was set to dazzle the nation during the NCAA tournament from next weekend.
During its first college season, flags were an average of 19 points per match, seven returns and four assists while shooting 49 percent from the field. He has been the engine behind what Duke does on both sides of the basketball court and the reason why it will be a popular choice to win March Madness.
Duke’s dominance in regular season will have it as a seed no. 1 in this tournament. Many analysts expect Blue Devils to be one of the teams that remain in this year’s Final Four. But if their star ahead cannot fit up, their views can be much more difficult to project.
College Basketball fans will keep your fingers crossed that one of the brightest stars in the game will be healthy enough to compete in March Madness.
With console pools and bets on the line in the coming weeks, the Flagg’s injury status will be one to monitor when the Blue Devils will continue through the ACC tournament, the selection on Sunday and ultimately their first round against which unfortunate number 16 seeds will see them first.
