Maliq Brown injury update: Duke gets major news ahead of UNC rivalry game

Duke forward Maliq Brown is available and expected to return for Saturday’s game against North Carolina, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported on ESPN’s College GameDay.

Brown has been sidelined since Jan. 11 with a knee injury, and averages 2.5 points and 4.5 rebounds for the Blue Devils this season.

His best game of the season came against No. 1 Kansas back in November when he recorded 8 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists and 5 steals. Prior to coming to Duke, Maliq Brown spent two seasons at Syracuse. In 2023-24, Brown averaged 9.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.

The injury occured during the Jan. 11 matchup against Notre Dame. He only played one minute before having to leave. Brown collided with teammate Mason Gillis. It seemed as though Brown took the worse of the collision and ended up limping off the court. He’d try to warm up for the second half but was unable to return to the game.

Several weeks ago, Scheyer said that Brown would be sidelined for at least a few games. He ultimately missed four full games before being set to return to on Feb. 1 for the Duke-UNC matchup.

“Maliq has proven to be one of our toughest guys, easily,” Scheyer said after the Notre Dame game. “The fact that he couldn’t go back into the game, I don’t think is a good sign. We’re gonna get imaging and get him looked at ASAP.”

Duke and UNC are set to tip off at 6:30 p.m. EST and will be aired live on ESPN. It will also be played at the Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, as part of a huge ACC showdown between two of the more fascinating teams in college basketball.

Jay Bilas, Jay Williams make bold statement on where Cooper Flagg stands in Duke history

Cooper Flagg has long been thought of as the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft coming out of high school. Before he can get there, however, he’s leaving his mark on Duke like no freshman has before in the history of the program.

That’s not just a bold prediction or high praise coming from the internet — it came straight from the mouths of two well-respected Duke alumni — Jay Bilas and Jay Williams.

“I think he’s the most advanced freshman in every facet of the game that Duke’s had, and they’ve had some unbelievable freshmen here,” Bilas said on ESPN College GameDay ahead of Saturday’s Duke-UNC matchup. “I’m not saying he’s the most talented, there’s Jayson Tatum, Kyrie [Irving]. … There have been some great freshmen here, but what he’s doing on a competitive level — he’s the most competitive freshman I’ve seen.

“It’s hard to quantify that, because a lot of players are really competitive. It’s just on a different level with him.”

Flagg is averaging 19.9 points per game, 8.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists through 20 games of his true freshman season. However, he’s averaging 26 points per game in his last three outings, and is five games removed from his historic 42-point performance against Notre Dame.