Duke Blue Devils’ male basketball star, Cooper Flagg, fought against an eye injury to lead team number 2 in La Nación to a 35 -point victory over the state of Florida on Saturday night.
Flagg was pushed in the eye in the first half in the middle of a hard foul. He sat for about 11 minutes, but returned to start the second half and ended 16 points in the victory of 100-65.
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Duke Cooper Flagg reacts at the bank after being accidentally beaten on the face during the first half of a University Basketball Party of the NCAA against Florida State in Durham, North Carolina, on Saturday, March 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
“He was beaten and scratched,” said Flagg teammate, Sion James. “Cooper is one of the toughest types I have played.
Duke’s chief coach Jon Scheyer described the injury as a bruised eyelid.
“As a basketball player, you don’t think about hurting your eye,” Scheyer said. “That doesn’t happen to your head. I had never seen him seem scared. I thought he was scared at first, rightly, you don’t know how serious or permanent … I was really nervous for him.”
Cooper Flagg (2) of Duke and Bostyn Holt of the state of Florida, on the right, fight for the ball during the second half of a University Basketball Party of the NCAA in Durham, NC, on Saturday, March 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
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Scheyer added that Flagg had some “vision problems”, which extended his return to the floor. Flagg was not available to talk to journalists after the game.
Duke’s star is widely considered as the favorite as the best choice in the NBA Draft of 2025. It is averaging 19.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game this season.
Duke Cooper Flagg (2) reacts ahead of Christian Nitu (11) of the Florida state after blocking Nitu’s shot in the second half of a University Basketball Party of the NCAA in Durham, North Carolina, on Saturday, March 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
The Blue Devils have two games during their regular seasonal schedule. They will play Wake Forest on Monday and will go to North Carolina on Saturday.
