Duke

Duke basketball loses starting guard to injury during ACC game at Miami. What we know

uke Blue Devils guard Tyrese Proctor (5) gets fouled by Miami (Fl) Hurricanes guard Jalil Bethea (3) during the first half at Watsco Center in Miami, Fl., Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025.
uke Blue Devils guard Tyrese Proctor (5) gets fouled by Miami (Fl) Hurricanes guard Jalil Bethea (3) during the first half at Watsco Center in Miami, Fl., Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. Imagn Images

Duke’s Tyrese Proctor suffered a left knee injury late in the first half of the No. 2 Blue Devils’ 97-60 ACC win at Miami on Tuesday night.

Proctor limped to the locker room and did not return for the second half.

“We have to get him back, get X-rays, MRI,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “He got hit on the leg. That’s the extent of what I know. And we’ll get him looked at and taken care of.”

Scheyer said Proctor would be traveling back to Durham with the team and have his injury assessed further there. Proctor left the arena using crutches but bearing weight on his left leg.

A starter in every game for the Blue Devils (25-3, 16-1 ACC) this season, the 6-5 junior was defending the basket as Miami’s Divine Ugochukwu made a layup. The two players appeared to bang knees. But, regardless, Proctor’s knee buckled, causing him to immediately show discomfort and limp off the court with 36 seconds remaining in the first half

Proctor scored seven points in the first half as Duke took a 47-32 halftime lead over the last-place Hurricanes (6-21, 2-14 ACC).

Proctor averages 12 points per game this season and has made 40.9% of his 3-pointers. He surpassed the 1,000-point mark for his career earlier in the game at Miami.

“Happy for Tyrese getting his 1,000th point,” Scheyer said. “I know he didn’t want to get it in this fashion.”

Freshman guard Isaiah Evans, who had already scored 16 points in the first half, replaced Proctor in the starting lineup to begin the second half. Scheyer indicated that Evans has earned more playing time going forward, with or without Proctor available.

“Isaiah, with what he’s done, I mean, it was a no brainer,” Scheyer said. “That’s obvious. He’s established himself in that role....He’s going to be in there.”

The Blue Devils are now dealing with injuries to two players as Maliq Brown missed his second consecutive game with a dislocated shoulder. The 6-9 junior forward suffered his injury on Feb. 17 during Duke’s 80-62 win at Virginia.

Brown joined the Blue Devils in Miami on Tuesday night, wearing street clothes just as he did in New York when Duke blasted Illinois, 110-67, at Madison Square Garden. Scheyer previously said Brown would miss multiple weeks as his injury heals.

This story was originally published February 25, 2025 at 8:13 PM.

Steve Wiseman
The News & Observer
Steve Wiseman was named Raleigh News & Observer and Durham Herald-Sun sports editor in May 2025. He covered Duke athletics, beginning in 2010, prior to his current assignment. In the Associated Press Sports Editors national contest, he placed in the top 10 in beat writing in 2019, 2021 and 2022, breaking news in 2019, event coverage in 2025 and explanatory writing in 2018. Before coming to Durham in 2010, Steve worked for The State (Columbia, SC), Herald-Journal (Spartanburg, S.C.), The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Miss.), Charlotte Observer and Hickory (NC) Daily Record covering beats including the NFL’s Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints, University of South Carolina athletics and the S.C. General Assembly. He’s won numerous state-level press association awards. Steve graduated from Illinois State University in 1989. 
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