Cooper Flagg injury: Duke national championship odds drastically change after star hurts ankle

It didn’t take long for Las Vegas to adjust its odds after Duke star Cooper Flagg left the Blue Devils’ opening ACC Tournament game on Thursday with a serious ankle injury. Less than an hour after Flagg was taken back to the locker room in a wheelchair, Duke’s odds of winning the national title dropped from +320 to +375, according to BetMGM.

Flagg’s injury occurred with just under three minutes left in the first half of Duke’s showdown against Georgia Tech. The ACC Freshman of the Year went up for a rebound and twisted his left ankle while landing, causing him to fall to the hardwood and grasp at his injury.

After taking Flagg back to the locker room to be evaluated, Duke allowed the standout freshman to return to the bench in the half. However, he didn’t check back into the game.

Before leaving the game in the first half, Flagg recorded two points, four rebounds, two steals and a block. It was a quiet showing for Flagg, who is averaging 19.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game this season while shooting 49.4% from the field and 37.7% from beyond the arc.

In the midst of a legendary debut campaign, Flagg is a frontrunner for the National Player of the Year Award. After Duke’s 82-69 win over North Carolina in its regular-season finale, Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer weighed in on the race for the coveted award.

“Look, I mean, for me, it’s Cooper,” Scheyer said on Saturday. “That’s not knocking anybody — I mean, we played [Auburn star Johni] Broome, he’s a great player — but Cooper, the way he impacts every aspect of the game, I don’t think we’ve seen in college for a long time.

“He impacts it in every way, and tonight’s a good example… But again, that’s not what Cooper plays for. That’s not what we play for. But obviously, recognition you always appreciate and is good. But we’ll keep control of what we can. That’s the best we can do.”

In Duke’s victory over the Tar Heels to complete the season sweep, Flagg stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, nine rebounds, six assists and four blocks. He did that despite missing 10 minutes in the first half after getting poked in the eye.

No matter who takes home National Player of the Year, Scheyer is thankful to have been able to coach Cooper Flagg. He won’t forget his experience with the likely No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft anytime soon.

“Yeah, I think the, the talent speaks for itself. Love coaching his talent,” Scheyer said. “But, I’ve loved coaching the person. You know, he’s, he’s all about the right stuff.”