Oh and UNC won!
Zion Williamson #1 of the Duke Blue Devils reacts after falling as his shoe breaks against Luke Maye #32 of the North Carolina Tar Heels on February 20, 2019 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) - (AP) -- Duke might have to figure out what the Zion Show will look like without its namesake.
And Zion Williamson could have some things of his own to consider, too.
All because of a freak injury to arguably the most exciting player in college basketball in the opening minute of the sport's fiercest rivalry, one that helped turn a widely anticipated matchup -- in front of yet another crowd of celebrities, this one including Spike Lee and former President Barack Obama -- into a blowout.
As his Nike shoe blew out, Williamson sprained his right knee on the first possession of what became top-ranked Duke's 88-72 loss to No. 8 North Carolina on Wednesday night.
In the aftermath of that loss, coach Mike Krzyzewski wasn't ready to look ahead. He was still trying to process just how quickly everything deflated after the injury.
"I'd rather not talk about what we're going to do," Krzyzewski said. "I'd rather talk about what just happened. Because we're going to figure out what we're going to do. So I don't have that answer."
Krzyzewski says Williamson's knee is stable and the sprain is mild, but doesn't know how much time his star freshman will miss.
He doesn't have much time to find a replacement for the Atlantic Coast Conference's second-leading scorer and its most dynamic playmaker.
The Blue Devils (23-3, 11-2) play Saturday night at Syracuse -- which already knows how to beat a Duke team after it loses a key freshman to injury. The Orange beat No. 1 Duke last month in overtime after point guard Tre Jones injured a shoulder.
Williamson averages 22.4 points, but his impact goes well beyond scoring. He also grabs 9.2 rebounds and has blocked nearly two shots per game.
In his absence, North Carolina simply dominated the paint, outscoring the Blue Devils 62-28 there while also building a 46-41 rebounding advantage. The Tar Heels shot 51 percent -- 57 percent in the second half -- despite 2-for-20 shooting from 3-point range.