Jon Scheyer needs to shut down Cooper Flagg for the rest of the ACC Tournament

The worst-case scenario for Duke in the ACC Tournament, the No. 1 team in the country which has locked in a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, was an injury to one of its stars, and that’s exactly what happened on Thursday afternoon in Charlotte. The Blue Devils hung on for a 78-70 win over Georgia Tech in the ACC quarterfinals but lost ACC Player of the Year Cooper Flagg in the first half to an ankle injury. 

Flagg injured his ankle when coming down after grabbing a rebound, his fourth of the first half, and exited the game with just two points. Duke trailed at the half as Flagg was seen in a wheelchair as he was taken for an x-ray in the Spectrum Center in Charlotte. He returned to the bench without a boot on his ankle in the second half but was ruled out and did not return. 

Now, third-year head coach Jon Scheyer may face a major dilemma. Does he rush Flagg back for a semifinal matchup tomorrow in an attempt to win the ACC Tournament Title, or does he shut down his superstar freshman and allow him to rest before the NCAA Tournament begins next week? 

Scheyer has already won the ACC Tournament, grabbing the crown in his first year leading the Blue Devils, and with a 19-1 record in league play this year, Scheyer’s group stormed to the regular season title. He has quickly established himself as a viable replacement for Coach K, but the only thing that can truly cement that is a national championship, and the only way to win one, is to have Flagg as close to 100% as possible. That’s why, regardless of what the diagnosis is for Flagg, Scheyer needs to keep him glued to the bench for the rest of the Blue Devil’s time in Charlotte. 

Georgia Tech gave Duke a scare on Thursday, but even without Flagg’s immense two-way impact, Duke may have enough to win the ACC. Fellow freshman Kon Knueppel picked up the slack, pouring in a career-high 28 points on 7-14 shooting and 12-13 from the free throw line. Plus, Khaman Maluach continued to dominate as a lob threat and rim protector, adding 14 points and four blocks. 

Scheyer doesn’t need to win another ACC Title to cement his legacy, and neither does Cooper Flagg. The expectations for this Duke team are national championship or bust, so Flagg’s ACC Tournament should be over.