Coach Chris Carrawell updates health status of Duke freshman guard Trevor Keels

David Thompson, The Fayetteville Observer
·2 min read
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski holds the hand of injured guard Trevor Keels during the second half of the team's NCAA college basketball game against Florida State in Tallahassee, Fla., Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022. Florida State won 79-78 in overtime.
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski holds the hand of injured guard Trevor Keels during the second half of the team's NCAA college basketball game against Florida State in Tallahassee, Fla., Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022. Florida State won 79-78 in overtime.
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DURHAM — The availability of Duke freshman guard Trevor Keels remains in question as the Blue Devils prepare for Saturday's road game against Louisville.

Keels missed the last two games — wins over Syracuse and Clemson — after suffering a right calf injury in the second half of a Jan. 18 loss at Florida State.

On Thursday, associate head coach Chris Carrawell said Keels "is getting better" and his return to action is still "up in the air."

Carrawell said Keels has not practiced this week and that the team took a mandatory day off on Wednesday after a 71-69 win over Clemson on Tuesday.

"He hasn't practiced but he's moving around better than he was," Carrawell said. "He's still being reevaluated."

More: How star freshman Paolo Banchero helped Duke basketball survive a home scare, beat Clemson

Keels, the team's third-leading scorer, started in all of Duke's first 17 games. Duke sophomore guard Jeremy Roach, Keels’ former high school teammate at Paul VI in Fairfax, Va., returned to the Blue Devils’ starting lineup with Keels out.

“He has progressed very well, but he has still not gotten on a court,” head coach Mike Krzyzewski said of Keels Monday during the ACC coaches teleconference. “In saying that, he is in the weight room. He’s doing all the things our sports scientists want to make sure we’re treating this injury properly and not rushing his return.”

With Keels out, Roach has stepped up in a big way for the Blue Devils. In the last three games, he's had 24 assists to three turnovers adding 20 points while playing every minute in the win over Clemson.

"He's been incredible," Carrawell said of Roach. "Just really solid."

The Blue Devils (16-3, 6-2 ACC) hit the road to play at Louisville on Saturday before facing Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, on Monday night.

Duke will then face rival North Carolina on Feb. 5 in Chapel Hill.

David Thompson is an award-winning reporter for the USA Today Network covering NC State and Duke athletics. He can be reached at dthompson1@gannett.com, at 828-231-1747, or on Twitter at @daveth89.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Duke basketball coach gives update on guard Trevor Keels' health status