The last time Duke and North Carolina squared off against one another, the Tar Heels ran the Blue Devils off the floor at Cameron Indoor Stadium en route to an 88-72 win. The result of that game, however, didn’t get nearly as much attention as its opening minute, when Duke star Zion Williamson exploded out of his sneaker and suffered a knee sprain.
That happened on Feb. 20, and we have not seen Williamson play since, even though he’s progressed in his recovery for the injury. All eyes were on whether he’d finally get the green light on Saturday evening, when the Tobacco Road rivals square off in Chapel Hill for each team’s regular season finale, but that won’t happen.
Duke announced Williamson will be posted up on the sideline against the Tar Heels as he continues to work his way back to 100 percent, marking the fifth game in a row he’ll miss.
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
Obviously it’s a huge loss for the Blue Devils, especially because of how the team struggled after Williamson went down in their last game against North Carolina, especially on the offensive end of the floor. It’s already been made clear there’s no plan of shutting Williamson down for the year, so now, all eyes are on the ACC Tournament, with Duke’s first game slated to take place on Wednesday.
