Duke basketball’s Maliq Brown returns to action in NCAA Tournament game against Arizona

Needing two more wins to make the Final Four, the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils had a key player back in uniform against Arizona on Thursday night.

Maliq Brown, who missed Duke’s previous four games with a dislocated shoulder, returned to play as a reserve in the first half of the Blue Devils’ NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 round win over the Wildcats at Prudential Center.

A 6-9 forward, Brown had not played since Duke’s 78-70 win over Georgia Tech in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals on March 13 at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center. In the first half of that game, Brown dislocated his shoulder for the second time this season and received treatment at a local emergency room.

A force for Duke (33-3) defensively, Brown has missed 13 games this season due to toe and knee injuries, in addition to two four-game stints on the sidelines due to left shoulder dislocations.

Brown returned to practice, wearing a shoulder brace under his uniform, on Wednesday as Duke prepared for its East Regional semifinal game with Arizona. With a maximum of four games remaining in their season, the Blue Devils remained cautious with their approach to using Brown.

But after starting center Khaman Maluach picked up two fouls and reserve center Pat Ngongba committed three, Duke coach Jon Scheyer put Brown in the game with 7:51 to play until halftime.

Brown played just four minutes — all in that first half. He scored no points and recorded one rebound, one assist and one steal while picking up a foul.

When fully healthy, Brown has been Duke’s first reserve off the bench, spelling Maluach. While Brown has been sidelined, Ngongba, a 6-11 freshman center, has moved up to play extra minutes as Duke’s top reserve in the post.

Brown has played in 23 games for Duke this season, averaging 16.9 minutes per appearance. He’s averaging 3.9 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.

Since originally dislocating the shoulder on Feb. 17 in a game at Virginia, his most extensive playing time was in Duke’s 82-69 win at North Carolina on March 8. That night, Brown played 16 minutes, scoring eight points with three rebounds and three assists. That included making 2 of 3 3-pointers.

This story was originally published March 27, 2025 at 9:00 PM with the headline "Duke basketball’s Maliq Brown returns to action in NCAA Tournament game against Arizona."

Steve Wiseman

The News & Observer

919-419-6671

Steve Wiseman was named Raleigh News & Observer and Durham Herald-Sun sports editor in May 2025. He covered Duke athletics, beginning in 2010, prior to his current assignment. In the Associated Press Sports Editors national contest, he placed in the top 10 in beat writing in 2019, 2021 and 2022, breaking news in 2019, event coverage in 2025 and explanatory writing in 2018. Before coming to Durham in 2010, Steve worked for The State (Columbia, SC), Herald-Journal (Spartanburg, S.C.), The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Miss.), Charlotte Observer and Hickory (NC) Daily Record covering beats including the NFL’s Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints, University of South Carolina athletics and the S.C. General Assembly. He’s won numerous state-level press association awards. Steve graduated from Illinois State University in 1989.