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Duke freshman star Cooper Flagg suffered an apparent left ankle injury Thursday in the Blue Devils’ first appearance of the postseason vs. Georgia Tech and had to be helped off the floor into the locker room. Replays showed Flagg rolling his left ankle, which he grabbed immediately.

Flagg, the frontrunner to win National Player of the Year for No. 1 Duke, sustained the injury with 2:46 remaining in the first half and was escorted by trainers to the locker room for further evaluation. 

Flagg was unable to put much, if any, weight on the leg after the incident. He punched a bench chair in frustration and screamed before being taken back to the locker room, at which point he was placed in a wheelchair with his left shoe removed on his way to receive further examination. 

Flagg leads Duke in scoring, rebounding, assists and blocks this season for a Blue Devils team that won the ACC title outright and entered the postseason with a 28-3 overall record. Flagg finished the regular season in style with a 15-point, nine-rebound, six-assist, four-block game in Duke’s sweep of rival North Carolina. Interestingly, the Tar Heels are in the unusual position of rooting for Duke on Thursday because they need an opportunity for resume-building wins to get off the bubble. Such an opportunity could come Friday for North Carolina, should it and Duke advance. 

The Blue Devils are down 31-26 at halftime.