Even so, Brown, currently leading the No. 2-ranked Blue Devils (18-2, 10-0) with his 1.5 steals per game while also averaging 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists as a workmanlike spark plug off the bench across his 15 outings to date, made another positive stride on Wednesday.

Junior forward Maliq Brown has been sidelined for nearly three weeks with a sprained knee. The Duke defensive specialist is making progress toward a return.

The Coach of the Year race is wide open as February looms with a plethora of candidates making great cases for consideration. While Bruce Pearl of No. 1 Auburn and Jon Scheyer of No. 2 Duke are obvious names,

Maliq Brown has missed the last four games for Duke. On Thursday, the transfer forward got a massive update before the Blue Devils upcoming game.

Here's a look at how the ACC's 18 men's basketball programs stack up heading into Saturday's Duke-North Carolina game: