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.

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.

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,