No. 1 Duke was without two starters during the ACC Tournament last week.
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Center Patrick Ngongba II is dealing with a foot injury. Following the Blue Devils’ 70-74 win over Virginia in the ACC Tournament final, head coach Jon Scheyer called Ngongba’s injury “day-to-day” and would not confirm that the big man would return for the team’s first-round matchup with Siena on Thursday.
Point guard Caleb Foster’s fractured right foot is considered more troubling than Ngongba’s foot issue. Scheyer suggested earlier in the month that Foster would not return until the Final Four at the earliest, but the team hadn’t closed the door on the junior’s season just yet.
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During an episode of “ESPN College GameDay” on Monday, Pete Thamel reported more bad news about the Blue Devils point guard. It appears there is just a “minuscule” chance that Foster will return at all for the NCAA Tournament, even if Duke reaches the Final Four or national championship.
“So, I looked at this and obviously Duke’s deal with the Caleb Foster injury,” Thamel said. “There’s a miniscule chance he could be back late, late in the tournament, but you have to consider Duke without him when you’re picking them, I think.”
Foster averages 8.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game this season on 25.4 minutes on the court.
With Foster out of the lineup in the ACC Tournament, Duke relied on freshman guard Cayden Boozer to pick up the slack.
Boozer struggled against Florida State but played much better against Clemson and Virginia. He scored 16 points to go along with five rebounds and four assists against the Cavaliers. He played 40 minutes against Virginia and 37 minutes against Clemson.
The injuries to Ngongba and Foster are concerning for another reason: fatigue. Duke only played with a seven-man rotation last week.
For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.
