Duke Poised for No. 1 Seed After ACC Championship Victory Despite Missing Cooper Flagg
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The Duke Blue Devils win their 23rd ACC tournament title and likely clinch the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Blue Devils defeated the Louisville Cardinals in the ACC title game on Saturday, 73-62.
Duke will enter the NCAA Tournament with a 31-3 record and a 19-1 ACC record. This is the first time since 2006 that Duke has won both the regular season conference title and the tournament conference title.
Tyrese Proctor #5, Kon Knueppel #7, Isaiah Evans #3, and Sion James #14 of the Duke Blue Devils huddle during the first half against the North Carolina Tar Heels in a semifinal game of… Tyrese Proctor #5, Kon Knueppel #7, Isaiah Evans #3, and Sion James #14 of the Duke Blue Devils huddle during the first half against the North Carolina Tar Heels in a semifinal game of the ACC men’s basketball tournament at Spectrum Center on March 14, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Photo by Lance King/Getty Images
The Blue Devils are taking home the tournament title without their superstar forward Cooper Flagg. Flagg was unavailable for their semifinal and championship game due to an ankle injury.
While he was unavailable this weekend, Duke still took care of business and showed they are more than just a Flagg-led team.
Flagg suffered an ankle injury on Thursday in their quarterfinal game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. The 18-year-old suffered the injury just before the end of the first half and was ruled out for the rest of the game.
On Friday, Flagg was ruled out for the rest of the tournament. However, on Saturday, Duke announced that Flagg would be available for the start of the NCAA tournament, with their first game being on either Thursday or Friday.
Selection Sunday is less than 24 hours from now, and with a strong finish to their season, Duke will likely secure not only the No. 1 seed in their region but the overall No. 1 seed. Duke will likely enter the tournament as the favorite, and rightfully so.
Flagg is a difference-maker on both sides of the ball. It starts and ends with Flagg, but at least this weekend, the Blue Devils have shown they are a great and deep team.
It remains to be seen whether they can do that next week or move forward without Flagg, who may not be 100 percent. Not only could Flagg not be 100 percent, but the Blue Devils could be without their star big man, Maliq Brown.
Brown re-injured his shoulder in Thursday’s victory and did not return to the game after going through tests during the game. He dislocated his shoulder for the second time.
The junior is the anchor of the Blue Devil’s defense. In 23 games this season, he averages 1.3 steals.
Health will be key for Duke; if that is the case, they will have the best chances of winning six games starting next week.
More NCAA: Latest Injury Update on Duke Star Cooper Flagg Could Completely Change NCAA Tournament
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Duke NCAA Tournament Odds Plummet Following Cooper Flagg Injury
For more NBA, College Basketball news and rumors, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
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