Photo by Emily Eshman/The Chronicle
Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski has mentioned a few times this year how lucky the Blue Devils had been to avoid the injury bug all season long.
They haven't been so fortunate in the last week. Last Wednesday, Nolan Smith sustained a mild concussion at Maryland, and Tuesday, Lance Thomas left the game with an ankle injury and Brian Zoubek sat on the bench nursing a bloody nose.
Thomas had X-rays on his ankle during the game and they did not reveal a broken ankle, Krzyzewski said after the game. Krzyzewski said the injury might be a high ankle sprain, but did not know how serious the sprain was yet.
While enjoying what Krzyzewski called his "best game," Zoubek broke his nose with 15:29 left in the second half. He exited the floor with a bloody nose, but returned to finish with two points and five rebounds in 19 minutes of action.
The spree of injuries could not come at a worse time for the Blue Devils, who travel to Chapel Hill to play North Carolina Sunday. After that, Duke flies down to Atlanta for the ACC Tournament and then awaits its fate in the NCAA Tournament.
UPDATE, WEDNESDAY, 1:30 p.m.: Matt Plizga, one of Duke's team spokesmen, just released an update on Thomas and Zoubek's conditions. He also announced that Jon Scheyer sprained his ankle in the second half of the Duke game:
"Thomas suffered a left ankle sprain in the first half of the game and is listed as day-to-day. Zoubek suffered a broken nose and is day-to-day. Jon Scheyer also suffered an ankle sprain in the second half on Tuesday and Nolan Smith's status remains unchanged after sustaining a mild concussion on Feb. 25."
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