Thomas' situation uncertain for Duke

It will be all or nothing for Duke junior forward Lance Thomas on Sunday at North Carolina.

Thomas, who sprained his left ankle on Tuesday against Florida State, will start and play his regular role if he's deemed healthy enough, coach Mike Krzyzewski said on Friday. Otherwise, he won't play at all.

Krzyzewski said Thomas did a little running during Friday's practice and must be able to practice Saturday in order to play Sunday.

If Thomas doesn't play, Brian Zoubek will start in his place. Zoubek suffered a broken nose against Florida State, but will be able to play and does not need a protective mask to cover the injury.

Reserve guard Nolan Smith, who suffered a concussion Feb. 25 at Maryland and hasn't played since, will not play at North Carolina. Krzyzewski still hopes there's a chance he'll return for the ACC Tournament next week.

Although Krzyzewski said he would like the team to be fully healthy, he sounded adamant about not using injuries as an excuse.

"We just play," Krzyzewski. "I'm all right. That's your hand. Let's play it. Let's try to win." - Ken Tysiac