by Eric Prisbell, USA TODAY Sports

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said injured forward Ryan Kelly definitely will play again for the Blue Devils before the NCAA tournament, but it won’t be this week.

“Yeah, he is, but we’re not sure when,” Krzyzewski told USA TODAY Sports in a telephone interview Tuesday. “It would not be this week. Depending upon on what he is able to do this week will determine if he can play next week or for the ACC tournament. We definitely believe he is going to play before the NCAA tournament.”

The 6-11 forward, who was averaging 13.4 points and 5.4 rebounds, has not played since injuring his foot Jan. 8.

The third-ranked Blue Devils (24-3) play Thursday at Virginia before hosting Atlantic Coast Conference-leading Miami on Saturday. They close the regular season against Virginia Tech at home March 5 and a game at North Carolina on March 9.

Duke is one of at least 11 teams nationally that remains in strong contention for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. As is always the case with injuries, the NCAA tournament selection committee will consider the team that Duke expects to take the court with in the NCAAs when deciding on its seeding.

… [For more on Coach K: Injured Kelly will return before NCAAs, click here.]