Duke was able to skate to an easy victory over ACC rival Clemson on Saturday without the services of All-American caliber big man Jahlil Okafor. The star freshman missed the game due to an ankle injury that he suffered during the Blue Devils’ thrilling win over North Carolina last Wednesday.
Mike Krzyzewski’s squad has another mid-week game this week, as it travels to Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech on Wednesday. Fortunately for Duke fans, Coach K says that Okafor is progressing, and he is hopeful that the Blue Devils will have their star center back for the ACC matchup.
From CBS Sports:
Duke coach Mike Krzyzweski said Monday he is hopeful star freshman and leading scorer Jahlil Okafor will be able to return to the lineup Wednesday against Virginia Tech after missing Saturday’s 78-56 win against Clemson due to a sprained left ankle.
“He’s showing progress as far as coming off his injury,” Krzyzweski said, per The Post-Standard. “(I’m) hoping he’ll be ready for Wednesday.”
Krzyzweski added Okafor did not have a walking boot on his foot Sunday, and the hope is Okafor will be able to run Monday.
The 6-foot-11, 270-pound Okafor leads the No. 4 Blue Devils in scoring (17.9 points per game), field goal percentage (66.1), rebounding (9.4 rebounds per game) and blocks (1.5 blocks per game).
