Duke’s Dereck Lively Hints at Playing in Friday’s Game

DURHAM, NC - NOVEMBER 07: Dariq Whitehead (L) and Dereck Lively II of the Duke Blue Devils look on from their bench during their game against the Jacksonville Dolphins at Cameron Indoor Stadium on November 7, 2022 in Durham, North Carolina. Duke won 71-44. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)

The Duke Blue Devils have been without five-star recruit Dereck Lively, as the top-ranked center and number two player overall (according to 247 Sports) recovers from a lower leg injury sustained during the preseason.

Head coach Jon Scheyer stopped short of saying Lively would play in Friday’s matchup against USC Upstate after the Blue Devils’ season-opening win against Jacksonville – stating he thought he had a “good shot” at playing.

It looks like that “good shot” turned into a sure thing, as Lively dropped a hint of his return on Twitter Thursday afternoon.

It’s no surprise Dereck would want to get his feet wet on the court before the Blue Devils travel to Indianapolis for their Tuesday night matchup against 5th ranked Kansas.

No. 7 Duke welcomes USC Upstate to Cameron Indoor Stadium on Friday evening at 6:30pm. Make sure to follow Carolina Blitz for updates from Durham.