CHAPEL HILL — Duke’s victory Wednesday came from a grinding defense and timely shots by its three offensive leaders.
Just minutes into the second half, though, the Blue Devils lost a key cog of the defensive rotation that could have a major impact on their potency at that end of the floor in the coming weeks.
Senior Lance Thomas went down with what appeared to be a serious right knee injury with 17:20 left in the second period. The forward laid on the floor for several minutes, and bench players Steve Johnson and Todd Zafirovski had to help him off the floor. Thomas did not put any pressure on the right knee as he left the floor.
Thomas appeared to suffer the injury on a collision with North Carolina guard Larry Drew II, who drove into the lane and then ran into Thomas while trying to dish the ball to a teammate. Thomas crumpled into a heap and the trainers came out almost immediately.
Thomas, arguably Duke’s best defender, was not available for comment after the game, but in his postgame press conference, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said the injury was most likely serious.
“We’re concerned about Lance,” Krzyzewski said. “I don’t think it’s an ACL [injury] but it is his knee and we’ll know more in the next 24 hours.”
Krzyzewski said losing Thomas would mean losing the team’s emotional leader and limit the team’s depth in the post.
The loss would also have a major impact on the team’s defense. Thomas has the ability to guard almost anyone on the court when healthy because of his versatility, size and quickness, and the forward plays a key role in disrupting passes and grabbing rebounds. He is often the trapping defender on the team’s full-court press, since he has the ability to get back to his man in time to prevent an easy shot.
Thomas and the Blue Devils displayed that defensive efficiency Wednesday in Chapel Hill.
“We’re definitely starting to figure it out in hostile environments,” guard Nolan Smith said. “It starts with our defense.... We talked about ego, playing with confidence, playing with the swagger and playing like you’re the best player on the court.”
But now, someone else will have to be the best defender on the court, possibly for the rest of the season.
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