Duke Basketball

Zion Williamson's Feb. 20 injury during a loss to North Carolina was the one heard around the college basketball world, especially since it happened when his foot burst through the Nike shoe he was wearing.

He will not be donning Paul George's signature line during the ACC tournament:

Instead, he will wear Nikes from Kyrie Irving's signature line when the Duke Blue Devils face Syracuse in Thursday's matchup. Robby Kalland of Uproxx noted there has been "plenty of discussion" about Williamson's future shoe choice after he was seen wearing an Adidas tracksuit, but he is still on the Nike-sponsored Blue Devils.

Duke was just 3-3 without him but can likely secure a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament if it wins the ACC tournament upon his return. 

Duke Blue Devils star Zion Williamson never seriously considered sitting out the remainder of his freshman season after suffering a knee sprain against the North Carolina Tar Heels on Feb. 20. 

In an interview posted to the NCAA March Madness Twitter account, Williamson brought up how some argued he should've called it a career in college and looked toward the NBA.

"For the people that think I should just stop playing in college and just focus on the NBA, thanks, but no thanks," he said. "I'm not really worried about that. Like, I'm just trying to be Zion and just play the game I love."

Williamson will return to the court Thursday against the Syracuse Orange in the ACC tournament. He doesn't need to play another second of college basketball, though, to remain the presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft.

The 6'7" forward is averaging 21.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 2.2 steals per game. Despite missing Duke's final five games of the regular season, he took home the ACC Player of the Year and ACC Freshman of the Year.

Strictly from the perspective of his draft stock, Williamson has little to gain by competing in the ACC and NCAA tournaments. Of course, the opportunity to win a conference title and compete for a national title is obviously difficult to turn down.

Duke is a heavy betting favorite to be the last team standing in the Big Dance. According to OddsShark, the Blue Devils are +210 to be national champions. The Gonzaga Bulldogs and Virginia Cavaliers (+800) are next on the list.

The Duke Blue Devils announced superstar freshman Zion Williamson will return for Thursday's ACC tournament opener against Syracuse after he suffered a mild knee sprain against the rival North Carolina Tar Heels on Feb. 20.

Williamson is having a monster debut campaign with Duke. He's averaged 21.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.8 blocks while shooting 68.3 percent from the field. The star-studded Blue Devils posted a 3-2 record while he recovered from the knee injury.

The 18-year-old likely No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft had remained durable at the college level before the knee sprain, which came when his shoe blew out in the opening minute against UNC. He suffered foot and thumb injuries during his senior year at Spartanburg Day School in South Carolina.

Duke probably won't lean too heavily on Williamson in his first game back. Javin DeLaurier and Antonio Vrankovic figure to pick up any of the extra playing time in the frontcourt.

That said, the forward should be back firing on all cylinders in time for the NCAA tournament barring any setbacks. The Blue Devils are a championship contender largely because of his game-changing ability.

Oddsmakers are banking on the health of Duke star freshman forward Zion Williamson, as the No. 5 Blue Devils are still the favorites to win the NCAA tournament. 

Per Caesars Palace, Duke is a +260 favorite (bet $100 to win $260). The next-closest team is No. 1 Gonzaga at +500.  

Duke's place atop the odds comes as a bit of a surprise since Williamson has been out due to a right knee sprain he suffered against North Carolina on Feb. 20. Without Williamson, Duke went 3-3 and finished the regular season 26-5.

Williamson is expected to be active for Duke in the ACC tournament. Seeded No. 3, Duke's first ACC tournament game won't be until Thursday.

Per Steve Wiseman of the News & Observer, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said the team "should" be getting Williamson back for the ACC tournament.

Williamson, who was named ACC Player of the Year on Monday afternoon, is quintessential to Duke's title hopes. But as the star freshman prepares to return, junior center Marques Bolden is poised to miss time after he sprained his MCL in Duke's regular-season finale against North Carolina on Saturday. 

Following Duke's loss to UNC, Krzyzewski said of Bolden: "We've just had some what I call in-combat injuries. They're not getting hurt in practice or sick or whatever, but they're playing hard and we've just had a lot of injuries." 

Per Wiseman, Coach K added "there's no way Marques will be ready for the ACC tournament."

Since Williamson went down in February, there has been rampant discussion about whether the likely No. 1 pick in the NBA draft should come back to play for Duke at all this season. 

On ESPN's Highly Questionable, Dan Le Batard laid out both sides of the argument: 

"Zion Williamson has already told you what he wishes to do, which is be there for his teammates, not let down his teammates. He wouldn't have gone to college if he didn't want to play. I find fascinating this decision [to play in the ACC tournament], though, for a couple of reasons. 

"One, he's already been betrayed by one major institution, Nike. Now Duke, another major institution, has a lot of self-interest involved in getting this team to the end of the tournament. It's not a rock-star team without him, and that is a pressure that leads to a whole lot of conflict of interest when it comes to the physical health of a young person."

With Williamson back in the fold, Vegas oddsmakers have reason to put their faith in Duke.

The 6'7", 285-pounder averaged 21.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 1.8 blocks before going down with his knee sprain, which speaks to his ability to impact both ends of the floor. The Blue Devils also have two other likely top-five picks in freshmen RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish. 

It seems as though Vegas is banking on Williamson being fully healthy heading into the NCAA tournament, although Gonzaga, UNC, Virginia and others could trip Duke up along the way to the national title.

Duke Blue Devils superstar forward Zion Williamson was named Sporting News' Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year for the 2018-19 college basketball season on Tuesday.

Williamson, who's missed the team's last five games after suffering a mild knee sprain less than a minute into Duke's clash with the rival North Carolina Tar Heels on Feb. 20, had his case bolstered by the Blue Devils' mundane performance without him in the lineup, per Mike DeCourcy of Sporting News.

"Zion has played with a captivating, infectious zeal that endeared him not only to coaches, teammates and Duke fans, but also to professional scouts eager to employ him and agency representatives who flocked to his games," DeCourcy wrote.

Williamson arrived at Duke as part of a star-studded freshmen class alongside RJ Barrett, Cam Reddish, Tre Jones and Joey Baker. His ability to stand out amid such a talented group of first-year contributors is why he's the clear favorite to become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft.

The 18-year-old Spartanburg Day School (S.C.) product has averaged 21.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.8 blocks across 26 appearances for the Blue Devils.

Duke, which had ascended to the No. 1 ranking with a 23-2 record before the forward's injury, has gone 3-2 in his absence—3-3 if you include the UNC loss after he got hurt in the opening minute.

On Monday, Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski said he expects Williamson to return for the ACC tournament. They received a double-bye to the quarterfinals as the No. 3 seed, which means their first game will be Thursday night.

"We should be getting Zion back," Coach K said.

Williamson was named the ACC's Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year while also being voted onto the All-ACC First Team in the conference's awards announced Monday.

He's also in the running for numerous national awards, including being selected as a semifinalist for the Naismith Trophy as the top player in college basketball.

Duke star Zion Williamson is expected to make his highly anticipated return from injury next week at the ACC tournament in Charlotte, North Carolina, Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski announced, per CBS Sports' Chip Patterson, on Saturday.

Thanks to a double bye, third-seeded Duke will not play in the ACC tournament until Thursday night at 9 p.m. ET.

There was speculation Williamson might suit up for Saturday's showdown against archrival North Carolina after Coach K revealed the freshman had "a really good workout" Thursday. However, he was didn't play in the 79-70 loss.

Per Patterson, Williamson participated in a no-contact workout Saturday and is expected to engage in contact Monday.

He has been sidelined since he suffered a Grade 1 right knee sprain on Feb. 20. The Blue Devils fell to 3-3 (including the first UNC game) since Williamson went down.

The 6'7", 285-pound forward was not only positioning himself to be the top overall pick in June's draft, but he was also making a strong case for National Player of the Year consideration.

He averaged 21.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 1.8 blocks per game. 

The Blue Devils' depth behind freshman star RJ Barrett has been exposed. But with Barrett (26.2 ppg in his last six games) playing well, Duke has remained in the mix for a No. 1 seed.

If Williamson returns for the ACC tournament, the selection committee will have an interesting dilemma next weekend. Duke, which was 23-2 before Williamson's injury, looked like the heavy favorite to cut down the nets in April. However, a Zion-less Blue Devils squad has looked anything but elite.

Williamson and his teammates could make it easy on the selection committee by winning the conference tournament in Charlotte next week. But that may give three ACC teams a case for No. 1 seeds. Virginia (28-2) appears to be a virtual lock, and North Carolina's (26-5) resume is arguably as good as anyone's.

Regardless of seeding, Duke's championship hopes will receive a huge boost should Williamson return next week.

Duke Blue Devils center Marques Bolden suffered a knee injury just two-and-a-half minutes into a Saturday showdown with the North Carolina Tar Heels and had to be helped to the locker room at the Dean E. Smith Center.

Bolden was hurt as he contested a Garrison Brooks layup attempt near the rim. After he dropped to the court in a scary fall, the 6'11", 250-pound center immediately grabbed his left knee and stayed down for a few moments as coach Mike Krzyzewski and the Duke medical staff examined him.

Bolden did not return to the game, a 79-70 North Carolina victory. Krzyzewski announced afterward that the big man had been diagnosed with an MCL sprain, according to CBSSports.com' Reid Forgrave.

Losing Bolden would be a blow to Coach K's rotation. Duke is already without star forward Zion Williamson, who has been out since he suffered a knee sprain in the opening minute of the Blue Devils' first meeting against the Tar Heels on Feb. 20.

Bolden is averaging 6.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game, and he's played well in Williamson's absence. Over the past four contests, Bolden has averaged 9.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game.

That's helped the Blue Devils go 3-1 without the potential National Player of the Year.

This is just the latest adversity the junior has dealt with. He missed the first eight games of his freshman season because of a foot injury and missed the 2017 NCAA tournament with an illness. Last season, he missed seven games with a knee injury.

Bolden was named to the preseason Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award watch list.

Duke freshman forwards Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett lead a group of 15 athletes on the short list for the John R. Wooden Award, according to the Associated Press.

Wooden honors are bestowed upon the nation's most outstanding men's and women's college basketball players each season. The Los Angeles Athletic Club, which gives out the annual award, will present the winner on April 12.

Williamson is the heavy favorite even though he's been out since suffering a Grade 1 knee sprain against North Carolina on Feb. 20. The 6'7", 285-pound forward has averaged 21.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 1.8 blocks per game. He has registered the highest player efficiency rating in men's Division I hoops over the past 10 years, per Sports Reference.

Williamson is simply an amazing player to watch. He's seemingly good for one jaw-dropping power dunk per game, but the excellent two-way player is also a defensive force, as this block against Virginia proved:

Duke has gone 23-2 in the 25 full games Williamson has played this season. He left the aforementioned UNC contest after just 36 seconds.

Barrett has proved to be a dominant scorer, averaging 23.3 points per game on 46.3 percent shooting. He's also filled out the stat sheet with 7.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists.

Sean Farnham of ESPN revealed how remarkable Barrett's season has been with this statistic:

Barrett may have been the favorite in other years, but Williamson has simply been sensational ever since he's stepped on the court.

Brandon Clarke and Rui Hachimura of Gonzaga are also candidates, and the AP listed the other 11 players up for the award:

"The other contenders are Jarrett Culver of Texas Tech, Mike Daum of South Dakota State, Carsen Edwards of Purdue, Ethan Happ of Wisconsin, Markus Howard of Marquette, De'Andre Hunter of Virginia, Dedric Lawson of Kansas, Ja Morant of Murray State, PJ Washington of Kentucky, Grant Williams of Tennessee and Cassius Winston of Michigan State."

Clarke is the wild card on the list. He's second in Division I with a 37.4 player efficiency rating and is scoring 16.6 points per game on 68.8 percent shooting.

Like Williamson, Clarke is also an excellent defensive player, averaging 3.1 blocks per game. NBC/Rotoworld NBA analyst Tommy Beer pointed out that Clarke is on his way to a feat never accomplished on the D-I men's level in 25 years:

The 6'8", 215-pound wing is on the No. 1 29-2 Gonzaga Bulldogs, who handed Duke its first loss of the year.

The field of 15 will be narrowed down to 10 and then five before the official mid-April announcement.

Duke forward Zion Williamson (knee) is doubtful for Saturday's game against North Carolina, Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski announced on Friday.

"I'm looking forward to the game whether Zion plays or not," Krzyzewski said on Friday, per The Athletic's C.L. Brown. "Yesterday was a big day for him because he didn't think before he moved. ... We'll have our shootaround in the morning and then give final word after that. It'll be known by 11 a.m...Roy isn't going to be up all night wondering.

The 6'7", 285-pound freshman is the undisputed No. 1 men's college hoops player, averaging 21.6 points on 68.3 percent shooting, 8.8 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 1.8 blocks per game.

According to Sports Reference, the 18-year-old also posted the best player efficiency rating by any player in the past 10 seasons. Williamson is in his own hemisphere in this realm, with former High Point forward John Brown second thanks to a 2015-16 mark of 36.93.

Williamson is in the midst of a tremendous season but has unfortunately experienced bad luck with injuries. He suffered a knee sprain on Feb. 20 against North Carolina after his shoe blew out and has missed the last four games. 

Naturally, replacing Williamson's immense production hasn't proved easy for the Blue Devils. Duke proceeded to lose the aforementioned UNC game by 16 points and has gone 3-1 without him in the lineup.

The Blue Devils have lost just two games (not including their first meeting with the Tar Heels) with Williamson in the lineup and are responsible for No. 2 Virginia's only two losses.

Sophomore guard Alex O'Connell has done quite well given the circumstances of replacing a superstar. The 6'6" sophomore dropped 20 points (5-of-8 from three-point range) at Syracuse en route to a 75-65 win and also scored 11 versus Miami.

But no one can replace Williamson's all-around game, as he's arguably the best player in the country on both ends. The 5-star recruit entered Duke with tremendous hype and has exceeded those expectations.  

It's the second-to-last game in Cameron Indoor Stadium for Cam Reddish, and the star freshman strides to the court. On the way, he smiles at the never more appropriately named Cameron Crazies, many of whom have painted "CamFam" on their shirts and on their skin. He hugs a middle-aged female security guard. Then he takes a pass from a student manager and steps to the free-throw line. Ten minutes before any other Duke starter emerges from the locker room, Reddish is already at work.

This is the Cam Reddish critics either don't see or choose to ignore. Since his sophomore year of high school, Reddish has been considered one of the country's best basketball players. He looks the part of a modern NBA star, standing at 6'7" and with a 7'1" wingspan and 8'9" standing reach. He plays the part, too, with the way he defends multiple positions and scores from almost anywhere on the floor. His shooting stroke is as smooth as it is precise, and his ability to get into the lane at times appears effortless. Coach Mike Krzyzewski once called him "a beautiful player."

But an ugly reputation has followed him for years. Critics say he coasts on his natural talent. They say he should be more productive. Worst of all, they say he lacks that vague but vital trait all NBA teams look for in their stars—a "killer instinct."

"Cam Reddish is the big enigma at the top of this year's draft," said one NBA scout. "People try to make all these comparisons: Is he Paul George? Is he Rudy Gay? I start with something more basic: Who is this kid?"

With the NCAA tournament just weeks away and Zion Williamson's status still uncertain, Duke needs to be able to rely more on Reddish. And with the NBA draft just months away, Reddish still needs to show that he is that reliable game-changing force. So is Reddish ready?

"I'm really still trying to get back to who I really, really am and to get back to my game, get back to making my moves and everything like that," Reddish said. "Every day I'm getting more comfortable with being who I am."

Since high school, Reddish has been surrounded by talent. At Westtown (Pennsylvania) School, he was the primary ball-handler on teams that featured Mohamed Bamba and Brandon Randolph. In AAU he played alongside Oregon Ducks freshman Louis King, another highly touted recruit. "That's just kind of how it happened," Reddish said. "It's nothing I've really asked for, but it's been nothing but a blessing."

Duke was one of the most persistent pursuers of Reddish. Assistant coach Jon Scheyer even called him in the hours after the Blue Devils' 2015 national championship victory to tell him they could win another title if he committed. Eventually, Reddish decided the best way to do that would be to pair with his close friend Tre Jones. But neither of them knew then that the class would eventually include three more 5-star prospects in RJ Barrett, Zion Williamson and Joey Baker.

While Williamson and Barrett have been Duke's through-and-through stars, Reddish has had a less consistent season. He's averaging 14.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per night, but his KenPom.com offensive rating of 97.7 doesn't square with his skills. (By contrast, Williamson and Barrett boast offensive ratings of 130.0 and 110.3, respectively.) He dominated the early part of the schedule, including putting up 22 points on 14 shots in Duke's dismantling of Kentucky in November. But he struggled through much of December, averaging only 11 points per night on 31.6 percent shooting and turning the ball over 17 times in five games.

By February, he appeared to be approaching his potential. In a run of five games beginning against Notre Dame and up through Duke's dramatic win over Louisville, he posted an offensive rating of 100 or better every night. But in Williamson's absence, his performances have been inconsistent. In his last two games, he put up 19 points on Miami but then picked up three early offensive fouls and only managed six points against Wake Forest. In comparison with Williamson, who is an unstoppable force, and Barrett, who is a downhill driver, Reddish can often appear passive.

"I just don't have a good feel for him," said another scout. "Is he going to be a second or third fiddle like he is now, or can he be a leading actor? In the top 10, NBA teams want a player who's going to be the guy and who's going to kick every opponent in the teeth."

Reddish is widely regarded as a top-five prospect, but a March push by him could mean that Duke players end up being picked 1-2-3 in the draft. It could also mean that the Blue Devils take home their sixth NCAA tournament title. If Williamson doesn't return, Reddish will need to show off his leading man skills. And if Williamson does—as he is expected to—Duke and NBA teams alike will want to see Reddish rack up big numbers against inferior defenders.

Either way, Krzyzewski remains confident. "You know, he's been able to explore everything with or without Zion," Krzyzewski told reporters after the Miami game. "I just think he's getting better. What we're trying to have him do is drive the ball more, not just shoot it, because then he can get fouled. And when he gets fouled, he's usually a really good free-throw shooter."

Duke's coaches repeat a mantra regularly around their young players: "Trust your work." What it means is that by practicing and putting in time in the gym, you create habits that you can count on come game time. Reddish's work ethic has never been a problem. In high school, he'd regularly work out for an hour before breakfast at 7 a.m. When asked, he couldn't even estimate how many hours he's putting in outside of practice this late in the season.

"It's a lot," he said. "I'm staying in the gym. I'm always working. Coach says you have to trust your work, so if you're not working, you don't have anything to trust. I always try to work as hard as I can every day, so I always have something to trust."

For Reddish, the month of March will be about proving that Duke and NBA teams alike can truly trust him. From those early morning workouts in high school to his rigorous pregame routine at Duke, starting strong has never been a problem for Reddish. Now the only question that matters is how well he can finish.