Duke Basketball Head Coach on Maliq Brown: 'Big Loss for Us'

The first-year Duke basketball player sat out the second half of the victory at Virginia due to a shoulder injury.

Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer at Virginia | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The No. 3-ranked Blue Devils improved to 23-3 overall and 15-1 in ACC play via Monday night's 80-62 road win over the Virginia Cavaliers (13-13, 6-9 ACC). But the high-powered Duke basketball squad could be without its stellar defender off the bench, perhaps for a game or more, in junior and former two-year Syracuse forward Maliq Brown.

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With 1:21 to play before halftime in Charlottesville, the 6-foot-9, 222-pound Brown, hailing from nearby Culpepper, Va., sustained a shoulder injury while doing one of the things he does best, extending his left arm in attempt to be a disruptor on defense.

"Maliq, he's a big loss for us," third-year Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer said about the reigning ACC All-Defensive Team selection in his press conference following the Blue Devils' third straight victory with five games left in their regular season and four to go on in ACC action.

"His shoulder dislocated. And we're going to get him imaging right now, tonight, find out what the deal is, and then go from there.

"I don't know more than that."

Brown has missed five games for the 2024-25 Blue Devils, including four straight with a knee injury in January. Entering the win at Virginia, the 21-year-old was averaging 2.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.5 steals across his 17.9 minutes off the bench.

Duke returns to Durham with several days to prepare for its trip to New York City's Madison Square Garden for a showdown against the Illinois Fighting Illini (17-9, 9-7 Big Ten) at 8 p.m. ET Saturday (FOX).

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