Irving likely out for Bradley with toe injury

A toe injury suffered Saturday is likely to keep Duke freshman point guard Kyrie Irving out of the top-ranked Blue Devils' 9 p.m. game Wednesday against Bradley.

Team spokesman Matt Plizga said this morning that Irving is wearing a protective boot and undergoing further evaluation, and is unlikely to play against Bradley. Plizga hopes to be able to provide more information about Irving's injury today.

Irving injured a toe on his right foot while making a move on the baseline opposite Duke's bench in an 82-70 defeate of Butler on Saturday in East Rutherford, N.J. He appeared to be in a great deal of pain on the bench, but returned to the game and afterward said he "stumped" his toe and felt better.

Irving leads Duke in assists at 5.1 per game and ranks second on the team in scoring at 17.4 points per game. One of the most productive freshmen in the nation, he was named the CBE Classic MVP after Duke's win over No. 4 Kansas State and scored 31 points in Duke's defeat of No. 6 Michigan State.

Ken Tysiac