March Madness is still a few weeks away, but if you tuned into the ACC Championship showdown between the Duke Blue Devils and the Louisville Cardinals, you’d be forgiven for thinking it had already begun. This wasn’t just a basketball game; it was a rollercoaster ride with anxiety-inducing moments, a few questionable shot selections, and at least one Duke fan dramatically tweeting, “I can’t do this anymore“.

The first half looked bleak for the Blue Devils. Louisville came in aggressive, taking full advantage of Duke’s missing star. The Cardinals shot a blistering 60% from the field in the first half, with Terrence Edwards Jr. dropping 15 points before halftime. Meanwhile, Duke looked out of sync. Their offense sputtered, shooting only 50%, with a noticeable lack of a go-to scorer. Even worse, turnovers haunted them—seven in the first half alone.

The final minutes of the first half were particularly brutal for the Blue Devils. A 7-0 Louisville run to close out the period put Duke in a 38-33 hole at halftime. And it just looked really bad that despite leading for 12 minutes of the first half, the Blue Devils’ largest lead was just two points. At this point, every Duke fan watching had the same thought, and podcaster Ryan Lommen summed it up the best. “We miss Flagg in a game like this. Someone you can just rely on to go and get you a bucket and stop a run,” he tweeted.

However, to their relief, Duke picked up and made the second-half their redemption arc. Tyrese Proctor decided it was his time to shine, putting up 19 points and hitting clutch shots when Duke needed them most. Kon Knueppel, who was named tournament MVP, added 18 points. Sion James chipped in 15, giving the team a much-needed boost.

But the real turning point? A game-changing 12-0 run that flipped the momentum completely. Duke suddenly remembered how to defend, forcing turnovers and locking down Louisville’s offense. The Cardinals’ Terrence Edwards Jr., who eventually dropped 29 points, did everything he could, but Duke had taken control. Final score: 73-62. Blue Devils won.

No Flagg, no problem? Not exactly. But Duke proved they could grind out a win even when things weren’t going their way.

Now, for the big question: when is Flagg coming back? The good news is that his X-rays came back clean, and it’s just a sprained ankle. The bad news is that there’s still no official word on when he’ll return. NCAA Senior VP Dan Gavitt hinted that Flagg should be good to go for March Madness, which was probably enough for Duke fans to cancel their panic attacks (for now). After the game, coach Jon Scheyer also said that it’s trending in a great way where Cooper will be ready to go right away in the NCAA Tournament. 

With this win, Scheyer has now led Duke to two ACC titles and has set the team as the hottest in America to enter the NCAA tournament. However, previously, with the team’s dismal losses to Kentucky and Kansas, many thought that the team’s over-reliance on Cooper Flagg was going to be the reason for their downfall. Now, it seems like he has also somewhat dispelled those notions. Yet, that didn’t stop fans from missing their favorite star.

Basketball community unites in missing Cooper Flagg

One social media user wrote, “If we had Cooper Flagg this game would be over”. There is a reason why Cooper Flagg is projected to be the No. 1 pick during the 2025 NBA Draft. The player is generating as much attention as LeBron James did before his own draft back in 2003. This is thanks to his two-way versatility, intensity, and budding skill. Flagg led the team in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks in this recent collegiate season. His presence majorly contributed to getting the Devils to the final stage. Long story short, we understand where this user is coming from.

Another one wrote, “Listen I cheer for the ville when Duke isn’t involved so I’m no hater.. this year has been amazing for you all and this game isn’t over by any means but cooper Flagg is cooper Flagg lol”.

Not everyone can leave an impression on the best NBA players at a young age. However, that is what Cooper Flagg did when he was chosen as a player for the USA Select Team. The squad practiced with the Team USA roster that was set to participate in the 2024 Paris Olympics. As NBC Philadelphia reported, Flagg dropped a 3-pointer over Anthony Davis and secured a baseline turnaround over Jrue Holiday. Then, he pulled off an acrobatic putback after gaining a foul advantage over Bam Adebayo. By making these moves against three of the best defenders in the modern-day NBA, Flagg earned praise from Devin Booker. The Phoenix Suns player said, “He wants it. I know this experience. He’s going to take with him and move forward.”

One social media user wrote “Show the damn game instead of Cooper Flagg after every possession”.

Even the people covering the games seemed to be missing the star player on the court. After all, knowing that Flagg is one of the players set to make a major impact in the NBA, fans may want to keep getting updates about him even if he is not playing. After all, there is a reason why the camera also often keeps panning to Taylor Swift during Kansas City Chiefs games. After all, the operators can seldom resist showcasing the big celebrity in the house.

One individual wrote, “Duke without Cooper Flagg is just the 2025 Philadelphia 76ers”. That is a low blow, but still a good roast to be pulled out anytime by a basketball enthusiast. Joel Embiid’s continuous injuries, combined with Paul George not scoring to the expected level, put the NBA team in a tough spot. Now, they hold the 12th seed on the Eastern Conference chart due to their 22-44 win record.

One social media user wrote, “When you watch Duke play without Cooper Flagg you can understand why Duke donors cough up millions of dollars in NIL money to get him to come back next year.”

Well, just one word here: understandable.