As the most exciting part of the year draws closer for college basketball fans, so does the concern of keeping their team healthy. Unfortunately for the Duke Blue Devils, injuries seem to be hitting them at the worst time, this time coming in Maliq Brown.
Brown was injured in the first half of the ACC Tournament’s first round. Unfortunately for Duke, Brown wasn’t the only one injured; Cooper Flagg also sustained a left ankle injury. This is coming just days before the 2025 March Madness Tournament.
Maliq Brown Injury Update: Duke Faces Another Injury Concern
Brown injured his shoulder in the first half of the Duke game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech led by as many as 14 in the first half, while the injury bug has hit Duke, and spoiler alert: it’s hitting them hard.
As if it’s not bad enough that the freshman phenom has now been ruled out, Duke has now lost Brown. Despite only averaging 2.7 points per game, Brown was a major force on defense.
With just under five minutes remaining, Brown was brought off the court and visibly in a lot of pain with his shoulder. This is a massive loss for Duke, and losing him and Flagg at the same time isn’t good news for Blue Devils fans.
In Duke’s season finale against the UNC Tar Heels of Chapel Hill, Brown finished with eight points, connecting on three of his four shot attempts, including going two for three from deep. He also picked up three points and three rebounds.
While he’s not a starter, the junior has been playing roughly 15-20 minutes every night. He’s a critical player from the bench for Duke, and his presence will certainly be missed should he not be back right away.
The Blue Devils rallied in the second half and are seemingly on the way to a win in the first round of the ACC tournament. However, the bigger picture here is looking ahead to the big dance.
Duke fans will be holding their breath, saying their prayers, and hoping that Flagg and Brown will be back in time for the 2025 March Madness tournament.
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The one positive is even if Duke does lose in the ACC Tournament, they will undoubtedly be the No. 1 seed in the March Madness tournament.
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