WASHINGTON _ Cam Reddish said the left knee injury that caused his last-minute removal from No. 1 Duke's lineup Friday is something that has bothered him since the team's game with North Carolina on Feb. 20.
The chronic condition, he said, worsened on Thursday as the Blue Devils prepared for their NCAA Tournament regional semifinal game with Virginia Tech.
Still, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski expressed shock when, less than 30 minutes before game time, Reddish informed the team's training staff and assistant coaches he was hurting enough that he couldn't play in what became a 75-73 Duke win over the Hokies.
"He's had a little bit of a problem with his knee," Krzyzewski said. "It's not structural. Nothing structural. A jumper's knee. Tendinitis. I guess there are a number of different things. At different times it can inhibit you or you feel pretty good and then you can play. Or you can work yourself through it. But (Friday) we weren't able to do that."
It's the second time this season Reddish, a 6-8 freshman forward, had to be removed from the starting lineup so close to tipoff. On Jan. 14, Reddish became ill in the half hour prior to Duke's home game with Syracuse at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
On Saturday, with the Blue Devils preparing to face second-seeded Michigan State in Sunday's East Region final at Capital One Arena, Reddish's availability remained uncertain.
"It will be a game-time decision," Krzyzewski said. "He's getting treatment today."
Unavailable to talk to reporters after he didn't play Friday night, Reddish appeared at his locker after reporters entered Duke's locker room for mandatory interview sessions on Saturday.
He said the knee is swollen after he tweaked and aggravated the condition. He's going through massage therapy and cold tub sessions to aid in healing.
How he feels Sunday, before the 5:05 p.m. tip time with the Spartans, will determine if he'll play.
"I just want to be close to 100 percent," Reddish said. "I'd love to feel good."
Asked how he felt on Saturday, prior to Duke's practice, Reddish said, "I don't know yet."
Reddish started and played in Duke's first 15 games prior to his illness-related miss of the Syracuse game. He returned and started Duke's next 20 games until missing Friday night's game.
Reddish said his knee condition had improved before he tweaked it on Thursday.
Duke prepared for Virginia Tech all week expecting Reddish to be on the court. During pregame warmups, Reddish said, he tried to warmup and get loose but he just couldn't "get it right."
When asked if he decided he couldn't play or if the team staff made the decision, Reddish said, "Kind of like a mixture of both, really. Just a mixture of both."
Sophomore Alex O'Connell replaced him in Duke's starting lineup.
Reddish remembers first feeling something wrong in the knee during Duke's 88-72 loss to UNC at Cameron Indoor Stadium. His injury was overshadowed, of course, by the sprained right knee Zion Williamson suffered when his right shoe ruptured. Williamson, the ACC player of the year, missed Duke's next five games.
Reddish continued to play but hit only 2 of 7 shots while scoring seven points when Duke won, 75-65, at Syracuse three days later.
"I just kind of tried to play through it," Reddish said. "Obviously Zion was out too so I had to go. I did it again. I'm just trying to get back to 100 percent so I can get back out there with my guys."
