Duke faces Miami without Zion for the third time in a row

Duke was missing first-year star Zion Williamson for the third straight game Saturday when he hosted Miami at the Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Williamson, the Blue Devils leader in rebounding, blocking and stealing, and his second-leading scorer, suffered a knee injury in the first possession of Duke's loss to North Carolina two weeks ago. The injury was considered a first-year sprain and coach Mike Krzyzewski hinted that Williamson would return to the game at some point, but that the team was not setting a deadline for his recovery.

Without Williamson against Virginia Tech on Tuesday, Duke lost for the fourth time this season, with an obvious void at the base position.

"We are used to having Zion there," said Duke Cam Reddish's striker after the game. "He gives us everything we need, we try to adapt to not have it, and day after day we get there, but I hope we'll meet him again soon."

Duke still has three games to play before the ACC tournament: Saturday against Miami, Tuesday against Wake Forest and March 9 against rival North Carolina.