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If North Carolina point guard Ty Lawson doesn't play against Duke, Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski will certainly be more surprised than sad.

A few minutes after UNC coach Roy Williams expressed doubt that Lawson will recover from a high ankle sprain by 9 p.m. Wednesday, Krzyzewski said his team will plan to face the dynamic sophomore as if Sunday's injury at Florida State never happened.

"I would expect him to play," Krzyzewski said. "I just think it's tough to keep any kid out of this game. From either side."

Lawson, a 5-foot-11 sophomore, twisted the ankle while contesting a rebound with Ryan Reid, FSU's 6-9, 230-pound forward, in the fourth minute of Sunday's overtime victory. Lawson did not return to the game. X-rays revealed no fractures, but when asked to assess the situation, Williams said the player would miss Monday's practice and wouldn't have a good handle on his playing status until after today's workout.

Lawson's absence Sunday translated into a 36-minute afternoon for Quentin Thomas, who began the season as a third-stringer but moved up when Bobby Frasor suffered a season-ending knee injury Dec. 27. Marcus Ginyard would serve as Thomas' backup, if necessary.

Thomas played well against FSU, with six assists and two turnovers. Once considered vulnerable to pressure, the senior from California has given away the ball three times in his last 94 minutes of action.

Thomas is not as speedy or as great a scoring threat as Lawson, whose orchestration of transition offense explains much of why Carolina averages 91 points a game -- good for second nationally.

"He's obviously one of the quickest guys in the country with the way he pushes the ball up the floor," Duke's Greg Paulus said of Lawson. "He makes a lot of plays for other people. But on the other side, they've got a couple of guys who can do that. We've got to be ready for that."

Duke forces more turnovers (18.9 per game) than any other team in the ACC, and according to the research at http://www.basketballstate.com, the Devils' foes lose the ball on 25 percent of their possessions. That's also tops in the league and tied for 14th nationally.

Contact Rob Daniels at 373-7028 or rob.daniels@news-record.com