By ADAM ZAGORIA
Duke freshman point guard Tre Jones is out indefinitely after suffering an acromioclavicular (AC) joint separation during the first half against Syracuse Monday night, the school announced. He left the game after falling to the floor.
“It’s a shoulder sprain, but there’s no break,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said after No. 1 Duke fell to Syracuse, 95-91, in overtime. “He was in a lot of pain when he was down. He’s just the toughest kid. Right away, he said, ‘I don’t know if my collarbone is broken,’ and it was hurting that badly. But it’s a sprain.”
Duke was already playing without freshman wing Cam Reddish (flu-like symptoms), who hit the game-winning 3-pointer on Saturday against Florida State.
Zion Williamson, who was poked in the eye in that game, started for the No. 1 Blue Devils and went for 35 points and 10 rebounds.
The 6-foot-3 Jones is averaging 8.5 points, 5.9 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.9 steals.
He is Duke’s best defender and facilitator and if he’s forced to miss an extended period, Duke could look like a totally different team, and will need freshman R.J. Barrett (23 points, 16 rebounds, 9 assists) to step up as more of a facilitator.
“If Tre Jones is out for any signifcant period of time, that totally changes the dynamic for this team,” ESPN’s Jay Bilas said on air. “They’re still good but they’re nowhere near as good without Tre Jones.”
The Blue Devils host No. 4 Virginia on Saturday at 6 p.m. ET.
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