The Duke Blue Devils lost another game without Zion Williamson and if he doesn’t return soon, they could be in jeopardy of losing a No. 1 seed
For the second straight season, the Duke Blue Devils came into a Feb. 26 matchup with Virginia Tech as a top-five team and lost. This year, it might cause a little more worry since this team just isn’t playing well after Zion Williamson sprained his knee and missed all but 36 seconds of the last three games.
It’s the first time all season Duke lost two games in a week’s span and it could put their status as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament in jeopardy depending on when he can return to the lineup.
It’s hard for any team in college basketball to bounce back from losing their best player, and nobody in college basketball has a player like Williamson, the front-runner to win the National Player of the Year and be the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.
He’s a transcendent superstar who has the ability to win games by himself, especially on this level. Duke was trailing in the game against Virginia for most of the final 16 minutes of the game, tying the game twice but never taking the lead.
Duke did show some resiliency, tying the game at 70 with less than two minutes left. That’s where they really needed Williamson. After tying the game, Duke only attempted three shots. Virginia did not give them a look and forced them to take two 3’s that missed.
Duke will likely fall out of the top four in the national standings with this loss. Kentucky was lucky to escape Arkansas on Tuesday night, but all the standings will see is a win. Virginia and Gonzaga will likely win their games this week, and many voters will put North Carolina and Kentucky ahead of them.
This loss definitely takes them out of the top four right now. The big question is will the Williamson injury eliminate their chances to secure a number-one seed in general.
Word is Williamson is getting better, but Duke won’t put a timetable on his return, only listing him as day-to-day. They may speed up that recovery after this loss, but it’s likely we won’t know when he’s returning until he’s actually on the court.
It isn’t all doom and gloom, because once he comes back Duke can go on a run and win the ACC Tournament which could be enough to secure a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament but Zion’s injury makes that much harder.