Cooper Flagg Will Play for Duke Despite Ankle Injury and Aim for the NCAA Championship, Claims College BB Analyst

Duke Blue Devils freshman sensation Cooper Flagg suffered an ankle sprain in yesterday’s ACC Tournament win over Georgia Tech, calling into doubt his status for the rest of the ACC Tournament. Some people even suggest that Flagg should forego the rest of the year entirely, including the NCAA Tournament. Still, ESPN analyst and former Virginia Tech head coach Seth Greenberg thinks that’s ridiculous.

Flagg needed a wheelchair after twisting his ankle against the Yellow Jackets, and Duke head coach Jon Scheyer made it seem after the game that it was very unlikely that Flagg would return for the ACC Tournament semifinals, which will be played tonight against Duke’s chief rival, the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Holding Flagg out for the rest of the ACC Tournament makes sense, as Duke already has a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament locked up. He’d undoubtedly love a chance to go 3-0 against the Tar Heels, but the rest of Duke’s roster is good enough that the Blue Devils are still 7.5-point favorites, according to FanDuel.

College football players often opt out of bowl games to ensure that they remain healthy for the NFL Draft, but Greenberg shot down the notion that it was in Flagg’s best interest to shut it down for the season.

“That’s not the way the kid is wired,” he said. “You want to leave a legacy, you want to be one of the greatest players in the history of Duke.”

"[Cooper Flagg will want] to leave a legacy. … This isn't football." 😯 @SethOnHoops on if Cooper Flagg should play another game for Duke after his ankle injury. pic.twitter.com/DkxmFR9wQR

— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) March 14, 2025

Greenberg said that Flagg is living his dream and wants to win a championship at Duke, and he also made the distinction that an ankle sprain isn’t a career-ending injury; it’s just an injury. It’s exceedingly unlikely that Flagg could do anything, providing he waits until it’s healed, to cause himself long-term damage.

Cooper Flagg should return as soon as his ankle feels better

Flagg has been seen as the No. 1 pick in the draft since before he stepped foot on campus, and nothing he’s done during his Player-of-the-Year-quality season has changed that narrative.

He’s shown NBA scouts everything they could want, from an ability to score anywhere on the floor to being engaged defensively, to being a team leader despite only being an 18-year-old freshman.

Rumors are circulating that Flagg could return to Duke for his sophomore year, but let’s be real. There’s no way that happens, even if a perennial doormat like the Washington Wizards or Charlotte Hornets win the lottery.

This is Flagg’s one chance to make his mark in college, and if he can lead the Blue Devils to the sixth national championship in program history, he’d do something that other celebrated Duke one-and-dones like Jayson Tatum, Kyrie Irving, and Zion Williamson have failed to do.

One of the best traits about Flagg’s game is how competitive he is. He may miss today’s game and even tomorrow’s ACC Tournament final if Duke advances, but there’s no way he’s going to voluntarily give up the chance to make history in the NCAA Tournament.