Duke phenom Zion Williamson was seen jumping off the bench in celebration over the weekend as the Blue Devils beat Syracuse on the road, but the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft will not take the floor in uniform on Tuesday night.
No. 2 Duke (24-3) will travel to Blacksburg, Virginia, to take on the No. 19 Hokies (21-6) in Cassell Coliseum, and Williamson will be relegated to a cheerleading role for the second consecutive game. Coach Mike Krzyzewski confirmed Monday that Williamson is out. According to Duke, Williamson’s status is listed as day-to-day.
Coach K made some surprising lineup changes after suffering a home loss to rival North Carolina, benching sixth man Jack White, who had been struggling offensively for weeks.
Duke freshman Joey Baker – who had been expected to redshirt this year – played his first minutes of the season against Syracuse, and Coach K turned to big man Antonio Vrankovic early on in place of Marques Bolden. Bolden returned in the second half and made a few key plays to help Duke fend off the Orange.
