The Duke Blue Devils men's basketball star Cooper Flag fought through an eye injury and led the second team across the nation with a 35-point victory at Florida State on Saturday night.
Flag was stabbed to his eye in the first half during a hard foul. He sat for about 11 minutes, but returned to start the second half and finished with 16 points in a 100-65 victory.
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Duke's Cooper Flag will respond on the bench on Saturday, March 1, 2025 after being accidentally slammed in the face in the first half of the NCAA College Basketball Game with Florida in Durham, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Ben McKeun)
“He was beaten and hurt,” said Flag's teammate, Theon James. “Cooper is one of the toughest people I've ever played with. I believed he'd come back if he was okay. He's back now than ever.”
Duke head coach John Shayer described the injury as a bruised eyelid.
“As a basketball player, you don't think about hurting your eyes,” Shayer said. “It doesn't go beyond your heart. I've never seen him look scary. I thought he was the first to be scared.
Duke's Cooper Flag (2) and Florida Bostin Holt fought for the ball in the second half of the NCAA College Basketball Game held in Durham, North Carolina on Saturday, March 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben McKeun)
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Scheyer added that Flaggg had some “vision issues” that extended his return to the floor. Flag was unable to speak to reporters after the game.
The Duke star is widely considered to be his favorite as the top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. He averages 19.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game this season.
Duke's Cooper Flag (2) will respond ahead of Florida's Christian Nitu (11) after blocking Nitu's shots at the second half of the NCAA College Basketball Game in Durham, North Carolina on Saturday, March 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben McKeun)
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The Blue Devils have two games left on their regular season schedule. They play Wake Forest on Monday and head to North Carolina on Saturday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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