Duke basketball: Possible return dates for injured Jeremy Roach

When could Jeremy Roach return to the floor for the Duke basketball team? 

The veteran leadership of Jeremy Roach has been noticeably absent for the Duke basketball team as the No. 24 Blue Devils (13-4, 4-2 ACC) try and navigate the deep waters of ACC play.

Roach has been sidelined for two games in conference play — three games this season — due to a nagging toe injury that was suffered during the Phil Knight Invitational in late November.

The captain showed no signs of having an issue in the immediate games after suffering the injury as he went for 13 points, three rebounds, and five assists in a victory over Ohio State and a dazzling 22-point showing against Iowa under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden.

Head coach Jon Scheyer made the smart decision and gave Roach an extended break when the Blue Devils played Maryland Eastern Shore to allow his junior extra time to heal, but it seems like the plan may have backfired.

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Jeremy Roach played very poor in his return to action against Wake Forest and arguably had his worst game as a Blue Devil in a 24-point loss to NC State where he was 0-for-8 from the field.

Scheyer once again made the decision to shut down Roach prior Duke’s second matchup of the season against Boston College for an indefinite amount of time to allow his toe to properly heal.

The Virginia native has since missed two games — both victories for the Blue Devils — although the showing against Boston College was very shaky but Duke put together an inspired second half against Pittsburgh to secure the comeback victory.

When could the Duke basketball point guard return?

Jon Scheyer said after the victory over the Panthers on Wednesday that “unless something crazy happens” Jeremy Roach will not play on Saturday on the road against Clemson (14-3, 6-0 ACC), the current leaders of the ACC.

“We want to make sure that he’s back 100-percent before he comes back,” Scheyer continued.

So, that begs the question; When will Jeremy Roach return?

Duke will have its ‘bye week’ after its trip to South Carolina and not play again until Saturday, January 21 at home against No. 16 Miami (14-2, 5-1 ACC).

The Blue Devils quickly then pivot to a tough road game against Virginia Tech (11-6, 1-5 ACC) on Monday before having another extended break to wrap up its two game road trip against Georgia Tech (8-8, 1-5 ACC) on Saturday, January 28.

It seems like the most likely scenarios would be either to bring Roach back in a massive home game against the Hurricanes or wait and give him the extra week off before a return against the Yellow Jackets.

If Jeremy Roach is unable to play on January 21 against Miami it seems unlikely that his status would change in approximately 48 hours to allow him to play against the Hokies.

Nevertheless, Duke needs its leader on the floor as soon as possible because this team does not look the same without him on the court and playing well.

Tipoff between the Blue Devils and Tigers is slated for 5:00p.m. ET (ACC Network) inside Littlejohn Coliseum.