After much delay on a decision, Zion Williamson will not play in Saturday's North Carolina-Duke rivalry game.
According to a statement released by the team at about 10:30 a.m. Saturday morning, Williamson will not be available for the No. 4 Blue Devils as he continues to get healthy from a knee sprain he suffered against UNC on Feb. 20. The Duke first-year went down with the injury just 36 seconds into the first rivalry matchup and has sat out ever since.
Ahead of Tuesday's game against Wake Forest, Duke officials began evaluating Williamson for a return in the final regular season game against No. 3 UNC. After he did not return against the Demon Deacons, head coach Mike Krzyzewski was doubtful about whether his best player might be available in the next game.
“I don’t think he’ll be ready for Saturday," Krzyzewski said Tuesday, according to GoDuke. "I have to be careful not to push this.”
Duke set a new timeline to update the status on Williamson on Friday. At the Friday pregame media availability, Krzyzewski said a final decision would be made Saturday morning after shoot around.
With the 6-foot-7, 285-pound future NBA lottery pick out, Duke will be at a disadvantage before the game even begins. Before the injury, Williamson had been accounting for 26 percent of his team's points, while being a commanding presence inside on both defense and offense.
Without Williamson, Duke has been a much different team. After starting out with a 25-2 record, Duke has been 3-2 without the star first-year, while dropping from the No. 1 team in the country to No. 4. That post presence has been missing for the team.
In the last matchup, North Carolina found a Duke weakness on defense, winning by 16 points, in part due to a 62-28 advantage in points in the paint. Without Williamson again, it's likely the Tar Heels will seize on such an opportunity again.
