Duke basketball: Latest on Dariq Whitehead ahead of Wake Forest game

Monday's update on the injured Duke basketball freshman sounds encouraging.

During his Zoom chat with ACC media members on Monday, first-year Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer didn't entirely rule out injured freshman forward Dariq Whitehead for 7 p.m. ET Tuesday when the unranked Blue Devils (15-6, 6-4 ACC) host the unranked Wake Forest Demon Deacons (14-8, 6-5 ACC).

"He had a really good day yesterday on the court," Scheyer said about Whitehead, who sat out Saturday's win at Georgia Tech after sustaining a strain in his left lower leg in last Monday's loss at Virginia Tech. "But he's not quite there yet...If he can't practice, he's not going to play, and we'll make that determination here in a little bit."

That update doesn't sound too promising for Whitehead's status against Wake Forest.

UPDATE: On Tuesday afternoon, Scheyer ruled out Whitehead against the Demon Deacons.

On a positive note, though, it's a far cry from the feeling when folks feared the worst — many thought it looked like a possible Achilles injury — due to his reaction to the awkward landing, trip to the locker room moments later, and return to the bench in crutches.

Dariq Whitehead wasn't in street clothes at Georgia Tech. He even participated in some warmup action on the floor before the game.

If nothing else, it seems there is a good chance that Whitehead will play, even if sparingly, at 6:30 p.m. ET Saturday when the Blue Devils welcome their rival UNC Tar Heels (15-6, 7-3 ACC) to Cameron Indoor Stadium.

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In his 16 appearances, including a starting role in his past five outings, the former five-star recruit out of Montverde Academy (Fla.) has averaged 8.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists while shooting 37.3 percent from downtown.

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