Duke had a frightening moment when star freshman Cooper Flagg rolled his ankle during the first half of their ACC opener. However, he showed no lingering issues as he led the Blue Devils to the Sweet Sixteen. Flagg delivered a dominant performance in Duke’s 89-66 victory over Baylor in Sunday’s NCAA Tournament matchup. Despite suffering a bloody eye after an accidental poke early in the game, he returned to finish with 18 points, nine rebounds, six assists, and a block. Speaking to reporters postgame, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer reassured that Flagg’s ankle injury wasn’t affecting him. “He’s had a great way about him,” Scheyer said. Guard Kon Kneuppel admitted Flagg’s eye injury was concerning at first but quickly realized it wouldn’t slow down the projected NBA lottery pick. “He’s a tough guy. I knew he wouldn’t sit out for just a poke in the eye,” Kneuppel said. “It looked bad, but after a few trips down the court, I asked, ‘Dude, you all right?’ He was good.”

Flagg’s performance left a strong impression on his teammates, with guard Sion James expressing admiration for how effortless he makes the game look.

“Sometimes, it just looks easy,” James said. “You can tell when Coop is in rhythm because everything just flows naturally for him. He’s one of the best basketball players in the world, one of the best in the country. I love watching him play.”