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Duke got a scare against No. 16 Siena on Thursday while playing without injured point guard Caleb Foster and injured center Patrick Ngongba.
There’s a chance that one of them will return to the lineup for Duke’s second-round NCAA tournament game against TCU. Head coach John Scheyer told reporters Friday that Ngongba would practice ahead of Saturday’s game and that he was “hopeful” that he’d be able to play Saturday.
“We’re about to practice,” Scheyer said. “I’m hopeful he’s gonna be available for tomorrow. We’ll see what he can do in practice today. And if all goes well — I know he was itching to play yesterday.
“Now, he hasn’t done what he’s needs to do in order to play. If everything goes well, we’ll see him back in there.”
Ngongba and Foster have both been sidelined with foot injuries. They both had walking boots after their injuries and missed the end of the regular season and ACC tournament.
Draft your Yahoo Fantasy Baseball team for the 2026 MLB Season
Duke won the ACC tournament despite the injuries to both. But it faced an unexpected challenge against Siena, which took a 43-32 lead into halftime against a Duke team that hangs its identity on defense.
Duke rallied for for a 71-65 win to advance and avoid joining Virginia and Purdue as the only No. 1 seeds in tournament history to lose to a 16 seed. The competition, obviously, only gets tougher from here, starting with TCU.
Ngongba is an anchor of Duke’s interior defense and efficient scorer who averages 10.7 points, 6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 60.2% from the field. His return would provide a significant boost to a Duke team with national championship aspirations.
Foster, meanwhile, remains without a timeline to return. His injury (foot fracture) is more significant than Ngongba’s, and he’s not expected to return this season unless Duke makes a deep tournament run, if at all.
Cayden Boozer has moved into the starting lineup in Foster’s absence.
Continue reading...
There’s a chance that one of them will return to the lineup for Duke’s second-round NCAA tournament game against TCU. Head coach John Scheyer told reporters Friday that Ngongba would practice ahead of Saturday’s game and that he was “hopeful” that he’d be able to play Saturday.
“We’re about to practice,” Scheyer said. “I’m hopeful he’s gonna be available for tomorrow. We’ll see what he can do in practice today. And if all goes well — I know he was itching to play yesterday.
“Now, he hasn’t done what he’s needs to do in order to play. If everything goes well, we’ll see him back in there.”
Ngongba and Foster have both been sidelined with foot injuries. They both had walking boots after their injuries and missed the end of the regular season and ACC tournament.
Draft your Yahoo Fantasy Baseball team for the 2026 MLB Season
Duke won the ACC tournament despite the injuries to both. But it faced an unexpected challenge against Siena, which took a 43-32 lead into halftime against a Duke team that hangs its identity on defense.
Duke rallied for for a 71-65 win to advance and avoid joining Virginia and Purdue as the only No. 1 seeds in tournament history to lose to a 16 seed. The competition, obviously, only gets tougher from here, starting with TCU.
Ngongba is an anchor of Duke’s interior defense and efficient scorer who averages 10.7 points, 6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 60.2% from the field. His return would provide a significant boost to a Duke team with national championship aspirations.
Foster, meanwhile, remains without a timeline to return. His injury (foot fracture) is more significant than Ngongba’s, and he’s not expected to return this season unless Duke makes a deep tournament run, if at all.
Cayden Boozer has moved into the starting lineup in Foster’s absence.
Continue reading...
