Cooper Flagg Out for Duke vs. UNC in 2025 ACC Tournament After Ankle Injury

Duke forward Cooper Flagg will miss the team's clash with North Carolina in the 2025 ACC Tournament semifinal on Friday due to an ankle injury, the school announced.

The standout freshman suffered the injury in the first half of the Blue Devils' 78-70 victory over Georgia Tech in the quarterfinal round of the conference tournament on Thursday.

Duke head coach Jon Scheyer previously confirmed that Flagg was a "long shot" to play against the Tar Heels, per ESPN's Pete Thamel.

Scheyer also revealed that the 18-year-old was dealing with an ankle sprain after X-rays came back negative.

"He just came down, sprained his ankle," Scheyer told reporters. "X-rays were negative, which is great. We just have to understand it's going to be swollen and to see how he recovers and how he goes from there."

Flagg finished with two points, four rebounds and two steals in 15 minutes on the floor before leaving the matchup with Georgia Tech.

The Blue Devils are positioned to return to the NCAA Tournament with their 29-3 record on the season, but their hopes of earning a top seed in March Madness will depend on their ACC tournament finish.

They already clinched the conference's regular-season title.

Flagg has exceeded expectations throughout his inaugural year at Duke, averaging 18.9 points and 7.5 rebounds to go along with 4.1 assists per game on 48.8/36.8/83.0 shooting splits. He's also recording 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks on a nightly basis.

Flagg was a key contributor in the Blue Devils' 82-69 win over North Carolina on March 8, scoring 15 points and dishing out six assists in 29 minutes.

As Duke attempts to take down the Tar Heels once again, it'll look to do so without Flagg.

Tip-off between the conference rivals on Friday is at 7 p.m. ET.