Cooper Flagg Plays Through Eye Injury in Duke's Dominant Win Over Florida State

Duke Blue Devils star Cooper Flagg proved why he's the talk of college basketball after pushing through an eye injury to help his team crush Florida State in a 100-65 blowout on Saturday night. The No. 2-ranked squad showed no mercy, and Flagg’s resilience was a rallying point for his teammates.

Flagg suffered the injury in the first half when he was poked in the eye during a hard foul. After sitting out for 11 minutes, he returned for the second half and delivered a solid performance, finishing the night with 16 points. A bruised eyelid might sound minor, but head coach Jon Scheyer admitted the situation initially looked more serious. "I had never seen him look scared before," Scheyer said. "It made me nervous. You never know with these things." Honestly, the thought of a top NBA prospect potentially sidelined must’ve been enough to make Scheyer lose sleep.

Flagg's teammate, Sion James, sang his praises after the game. "He was beat up and scratched up," 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. And he was back and better than ever." Talk about a teammate you’d want in the trenches—or on the court when you're up against Florida State.

Though Flagg wasn’t available for post-game comments, his stats this season certainly speak for him. Averaging 19.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game, he’s the undisputed favorite to go first in the 2025 NBA Draft. If you’re not already watching this guy, what are you even doing?

Duke still has two games left on their regular-season calendar—a Monday matchup against Wake Forest and a Saturday showdown with North Carolina. With March Madness just around the corner, all eyes will be on Flagg and his crew to see if they can keep this momentum rolling.