Duke freshman Cooper Flagg appeared to injure his left ankle after slipping under the basket and was helped to the locker room by two teammates late in the first half. He did not return.

So there's no great reason for Cooper Flagg to play Friday against North Carolina in the ACC Tournament semifinals one day after spraining his left ankle in a win over Georgia Tech. A potential Flagg absence would be good for UNC and likely best for a Duke program with eyes on a bigger prize.

However, the Blue Devils suffered a harsh blow in their first postseason match. On Thursday, their superstar freshman forward Cooper Flagg suffered an ankle injury against Georgia Tech in their first game of the ACC Tournament. Minutes before the end of the first half, he went up for a rebound and came down, grabbing his ankle.