Duke basketball: Dariq Whitehead versus UNC 'is on the table'

There is a chance Dariq Whitehead plays in Duke basketball's rivalry clash.

Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer updated Dariq Whitehead's status during his Thursday presser ahead of the rivalry bout with the unranked UNC Tar Heels (15-7, 7-4 ACC) in Cameron Indoor Stadium at 6:30 p.m. ET Saturday.

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It sounds like there's a real possibility that the freshman forward, who exited Duke basketball's loss at Virginia Tech on Jan. 23 due to a sprain in his left lower leg, will get minutes for the unranked Blue Devils (16-6, 7-4 ACC) against the Tar Heels.

Whitehead missed the team's past two games (Duke went 2-0 with wins at Georgia Tech on Saturday and against visiting Wake Forest on Tuesday night) after drawing starts in five straight outings. And he still hasn't practiced since suffering the injury; however, as Scheyer noted, that should change on Thursday.

"The goal is for him to practice today," Scheyer said. "It's possible [he will play on Saturday]. We have to see him practice and take the necessary steps in the next couple of days.

"I don't want to guarantee it for sure. I don't want to rule it out. It's on the table. But he needs to feel comfortable — we need to feel comfortable — with how he looks and how he's feeling."

Across 16 appearances this season, Dariq Whitehead is averaging 8.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists while shooting 38.3 percent from the field, 37.3 percent beyond the arc, and 93.3 percent from the charity stripe.

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