Duke needs to win against North Carolina to have a shot at the ACC’s regular season title, but they’ll have to do it without Zion Williamson.
Williamson, who has been out of action since spraining his knee in the first matchup with the Tar Heels, has been officially ruled out of tonight’s game by Duke.
NEWS: Zion will miss tonight’s game at UNC as he continues to recover from a Grade 1 right knee sprain. pic.twitter.com/WwdnLg2OkQ
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 9, 2019
This is a big blow for Duke, which has clearly been impacted by Williamson’s absence, particularly on the offensive end. The Blue Devils barely snuck by lowly Wake Forest at home on Tuesday night, and their task will be much more difficult in Chapel Hill without Williamson, a semifinalist for the Naismith Trophy.
Williamson’s defensive presence was a true issue for Duke in their first matchup with North Carolina, with Luke Maye taking full advantage of Zion’s absence. Maye exploded for 30 points and 15 rebounds at Cameron Indoor in that game, and he could be poised for another huge night without having to worry about Williamson in the paint.
This decision wasn’t entirely unexpected after Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said it was doubtful that Williamson would be ready for the rematch with North Carolina. Coach K has said that Duke expects to have Williamson back for the ACC Tournament next week, which should give him plenty of time to round back into game shape ahead of the NCAA’s.
The Blue Devils need a healthy Williamson to win in March because they simply aren’t the same team without him. Williamson, who should win the Naismith, is a true game wrecker who can impact the contest on both ends of the floor.
Duke has been an abysmal 3-point shooting team, but Williamson’s ability to basically shoot 8-12 from inside every game makes that weakness a minor one. Williamson is also a tremendous interior defender, and if he was playing today Maye wouldn’t have as much success scoring on the inside.