By SARA KIERNAN
NEW YORK — Duke will go into coach Jon Scheyer’s first Sweet 16 this weekend with two banged-up players which could lead to some issues ahead.
In the first half of their 93-55 blowout of James Madison in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Barclays Center, senior guard Jeremy Roach went up for a block and came down writhing in pain holding his left hand. He immediately walked off the court to the end of the bench holding his hand.
For a few minutes, he sat at the end of the bench holding his hand while trainers evaluated the injury. The game continued with Roach at one point walking off the court towards the locker room before quickly returning to the court and checking back in.
His left ring and pinky finger were taped together and he was later reported to have a dislocated pinky finger. Roach said that he does not even know how the dislocation happened. He also felt nauseous and said it “felt so weird.” Roach, who averages 14.0 points, 3.2 assists and 2.5 rebounds, had X-rays done after the game with nothing seeming to inhibit him from playing against No. 1 Houston on Friday night in Dallas. Junior guard Jaylen Blakes was also injured in the blowout win, but a source close to the Duke guard told ZAGSBLOG he is “OK.” The New Jersey native was going for a dunk when he took a nasty spill, hitting his head on the court. The entire arena went silent as Duke staff went over to see if he was OK. They were able to get him up and off the court but he seemed disoriented and had to be helped off the court. “I don’t think there was any bad intention at all,” Scheyer said. “Just it’s a scary play.” One Duke source told ZAGSBLOG Monday that both Roach and Blakes were “good to go.” Follow Sara on Twitter Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram And Like ZAGS on FacebookJeremy Roach explains how he dislocated his left pinky. https://t.co/VeJkm4xWL2 pic.twitter.com/GF6JRWldnl
— Kate Rogerson (@KateRogersonTV) March 25, 2024
