Ad Disclosure
Cooper Flagg injury: Duke star seen in wheelchair after rolling ankle vs. Georgia Tech
Published:
Cooper Flagg had to be helped off the court inside Spectrum Center on Thursday against Georgia Tech after appearing to injure his ankle late in the first half.
Soon after, ESPN’s camera crew caught Flagg being helped to the x-ray room in a wheelchair. The star Duke forward rolled his ankle on a rebound attempt. Mason Gillis started the second half in place of Flagg.
Duke also saw Maliq Brown leave the court in the first half with an apparent shoulder injury.
Flagg had 2 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block in 15 first-half minutes before leaving the game. He missed 6 of his 7 shots from the field, though, as Duke struggled to get itself going offensive against the Yellow Jackets. The top-seeded Blue Devils (28-3, 19-1 ACC) trailed 8-seed Georgia Tech (17-15, 10-10) by 5 points at the break.
In his debut season at the college level, the 6-foot-9 forward leads Duke with 19.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game. He is widely considered to be the favorite to win the Wooden Award as the national player of the year in college basketball.
Duke is a bonafide title contender because of Flagg. The Blue Devils are likely to land a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament and, per the latest March Madness odds, are one of the favorites to win the national championship. An extended absence from Flagg would surely change that.
The first round of the NCAA Tournament is slated to start on March 20 and 21. The Sweet 16 begins on March 27 with the Elite Eight following on March 29. The Final Four begins on April 5.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
