Jon Scheyer announces Cooper Flagg will not play in ACC Tournament Championship
The ACC Tournament career of Cooper Flagg looks like it is only going to be one game.
Duke head coach Jon Scheyer ruled Flagg out for the championship game on Saturday night after the Blue Devils defeated North Carolina, 74-71, in the semifinals.
“He’s doing better,” Scheyer said. “Sprained ankle, all the imaging came back negative. He sprained it pretty good, though. It’s a good sprain.”
The Blue Devil leader said on Thursday that it would be a “long shot” if Flagg returned to the ACC Tournament and the program would have to weigh the risks of him playing with its goal of a National Championship still achievable and a No. 1 seed likely secured.
“I’m not breaking any news. He’s not going to play tomorrow,” he continued. “He can’t play.”
Duke got key contributions from its freshmen without Flagg as the trio of Kon Knueppel, Khaman Maluach, and Patrick Ngongba combined for 42 points in the victory.
Maliq Brown also missed the game after he re-dislocated his shoulder against Georgia Tech.
“Our goal is to have him ready for the [NCAA] tournament,” Jon Scheyer continued. “But we need to see how this weekend goes with the swelling and what he can do.”
Flagg was on the Duke bench for its semifinal matchup and was not wearing a walking boot or a noticeable ankle brace, very similar to what he looked like when returning to the sidelines for the second half on Thursday.
There was a small yet noticeable limp from the ACC Player of the Year when he walked around on the court, but it appears his outlook is much more positive than initially thought.
Duke will battle Louisville for the ACC Tournament Championship on Saturday night (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) from the Spectrum Center in Charlotte.
The Blue Devils won the only matchup between the teams this season on the road back in December.
