Duke star Zion Williamson to miss second straight game with knee injury

Feb. 26 (UPI) -- Duke Blue Devils star forward Zion Williamson will miss his second consecutive game Tuesday night with a right knee sprain.

Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski said Monday that the freshman forward won't play when No. 3 Duke travels to play No. 20 Virginia Tech.

Williamson hurt his knee in the first minute of Duke's 88-72 loss to North Carolina last week. The 6-foot-7 forward planted his foot while pivoting and tore through his shoe. He didn't return to the game and missed the team's contest against Syracuse on Saturday.

The team listed Williamson as day-to-day following the injury.

"He's handled everything all year great," Krzyzewski told reporters after defeating Syracuse on Saturday. "He's such a great kid. We would never play a kid who's not ready to be played. He wants to play. He loves being at Duke. There's just a protocol we have to go through to make sure he's completely ready. That's why we say day-to-day because it's literally day-to-day."

Williamson is averaging 21.6 points per game, the second-highest mark in the ACC. He is also among the conference leaders in rebounds (8.8), steals (2.2) and shooting percentage (.683).

The Hokies (21-6) host the Blue Devils (24-3) at Cassell Coliseum. Tip off is set for 7 p.m. EST.