CHARLOTTE — Duke basketball will be without Cooper Flagg and Maliq Brown against UNC on Friday (7 p.m., ESPN) in the semifinals of the 2025 ACC Tournament.

Flagg has a left ankle injury and Brown is dealing with a dislocated left shoulder. Both players were injured in the top-ranked Blue Devils’ win against Georgia Tech in Thursday’s quarterfinals. Duke made the official announcement a little more than two hours before tipoff at Spectrum Center.

Brown walked into the area with a sling holding his left arm. Flagg wasn’t wearing a walking boot, but he was walking gingerly as the Blue Devils made their way to the locker room.

Flagg, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, leads Duke (29-3) in each of its five major statistical categories. He started in each of the Blue Devils’ 32 games. Brown, who missed eight games this season, will be sidelined for a ninth time. He missed four games with a knee sprain earlier in the season before a four-game stretch with a dislocated shoulder.

DUKE-UNC PREDICTION: Duke basketball vs UNC: Score prediction, scouting report for ACC Tournament

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

Duke, which won the outright regular-season title, is projected to be among the top seeds in the NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels (22-12) are trying to earn a signature win to boost their March Madness resume.

Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to[email protected].