Duke Blue Devils men’s basketball star Cooper Flagg battled through an eye injury to lead the No. 2 team in the nation to a 35-point win over Florida State on Saturday night.
Flagg was poked in the eye in the first half amid a hard foul. He sat out for about 11 minutes but returned to start the second half and finished with 16 points in the 100-65 victory.
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Duke’s Cooper Flagg reacts on the bench after being accidentally hit in the face during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Florida State in Durham, N.C., on Saturday, March 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
“He was beat up and scratched up,” Flagg’s teammate Sion James said. “Cooper is one of the toughest guys I’ve ever played with. I trusted that if he was all right, he’d be back. He was back and better than ever.”
Duke head coach Jon Scheyer described the injury as a bruised eyelid.
“As a basketball player, you don’t think about injuring your eye,” Scheyer said. “That doesn’t cross your mind. I had never seen him look scared. I thought he was scared at first, rightfully so, because you don’t know how serious or permanent. . . . I was really nervous about him.”
Duke’s Cooper Flagg (2) and Florida State’s Bostyn Holt, right, battle for the ball during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Durham, N.C., Saturday, March 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
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Scheyer added that Flagg had some “vision issues,” which prolonged his return to the floor. Flagg wasn’t made available to speak to reporters after the game.
The Duke star is widely considered to be the favorite as the top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. He’s averaging 19.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game this season.
Duke’s Cooper Flagg (2) reacts ahead of Florida State’s Christian Nitu (11) after blocking Nitu’s shot in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Durham, N.C., Saturday, March 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
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The Blue Devils have two games left on their regular-season schedule. They will play Wake Forest on Monday and head to North Carolina on Saturday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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