Duke star Cooper Flagg will not play in Friday’s game against North Carolina due to a sprained left ankle. The injury occurred during the first half of Thursday’s ACC Tournament quarterfinal against Georgia Tech, with Flagg limping off the court after rolling his ankle on a rebound.
Coach Jon Scheyer confirmed that Flagg had sprained his ankle, and x-rays showed no fractures. However, with such a short turnaround time, it is likely that Flagg will miss the remainder of the ACC Tournament.
As a result, Duke’s hypothetical odds against North Carolina increased significantly if Flagg were healthy. The Blue Devils would have been favored by 13.5 points, but without Flagg, they opened as 7.5-point underdogs and are now 6.5-point favorites. This shift in odds has also affected the NCAA Tournament championship odds, with Duke’s chances dropping from +320 to +375.
Duke will be without its leader in every statistical category against North Carolina, which is expected to impact the game. The spread has been cut in half since Flagg’s injury, indicating a significant adjustment in the Blue Devils’ confidence level heading into the matchup.
Source: https://www.on3.com/college/duke-blue-devils/news/cooper-flagg-injury-update-duke-star-status-for-north-carolina-game-reportedly-revealed