According to his team, Duke's men's basketball Star Cooper Flag will play in the NCAA Tournament this week despite a horrific injury that requires wheelchair support.
The Duke and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) has notified the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee that Dan Gavitt, senior vice president of Basketball, will be available for Tournament.
Gavitt commented on CBS prior to Sunday's announcement of the 68 fields.
Flag sprained his left ankle during Duke's victory against Georgia Tech on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.
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Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flag was injured in the first half on March 13, 2025 at Spectrum Center. (Bob Dongnan/Image Image)
That happened when Flag jumped to get a rebound. He landed on his left ankle as he fell to the floor. He quickly crumpled onto the floor. The 6-foot-9 freshman stayed on the floor for a while before being helped by his teammates. Before sitting, Flag stepped onto the bench, which was clearly struggling.
After he left the game, Flag was put in a wheelchair and taken to the locker room.
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Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flag was injured in the first half on March 13, 2025 at Spectrum Center. (Bob Dongnan/Image Image)
Despite the injuries, Flag returned to the bench from the locker room to cheer on his teammates in the second half, but he didn't return the game.
Duke coach John Shayer said he had swelling in his ankles at a post-game press conference.
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Duke Blue Devils Forward Cooper Flag responds to the bench against the Wake Forest Demon Deacon at Cameron Indoor Stadium in the second half. (Rob Kinnan/Imagn Images)
The ACC player and named Rookie of the Year from Tuesday by the Associated Press, Flag missed out on Friday's semi-final victory over rival North Carolina. Shayer then ruled out Flag for Saturday night's title game.
Flag was sitting on the bench in a black warmup during the UNC game and standing behind the huddle along with his injured teammate Malik Brown. Flagg walked without big limp or protective boots during Friday's game.
Gavitt said that Flagg's status isn't the only thing the committee tracks throughout the weekend, as player availability can be factored into team seed.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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