While the absence of Zion Williamson is painful for Duke basketball fans to endure, they may soon look back and realize the emergence of Alex O’Connell may not have happened without it.
Williamson, the 6-foot-7, 280-pound freshman sensation whose unprecedented game has swept the nation this season, will sit out for a second consecutive game while rehabbing a Grade 1 knee sprain that he suffered on the Blue Devils’ first possession of an 88-72 home loss to UNC last Wednesday.
So when No. 3 Duke (24-3; 12-2 in ACC) plays at No.