Duke carries injury worries into ACC Tournament. The latest on Ngongba, Foster
Top-ranked Duke toppled No. 17 North Carolina, 76-61, at Cameron Indoor Stadium without center Patrick Ngongba for the entire game and starting guard Caleb Foster for the entire second half on Saturday night.
After the game, Duke coach Jon Scheyer expressed doubts about their availability for the ACC Tournament.
“Health going into the NCAA Tournament is the priority,” Scheyer said. “It just is. And the ACC Tournament, we want to be ready to go. But look, I can tell you this: I’ll be shocked if both of them (Ngongba and Foster) are playing next week. I’ll tell you that much. But our plan is, how can we get as healthy as possible for two weeks for now?”
Ngongba didn’t start against UNC and was on the bench for first half in his uniform. He emerged from the locker room at halftime wearing a boot on his right foot.
In more bad news for Duke, Foster (foot) exited play in the first half. A trainer was treating his right foot on the bench before Foster was taken to the locker room. Several Blue Devils starters and members of Foster’s family followed the injured guard there.
Scheyer said Foster was going to have imaging done on the foot to determine the extent of the injury.
“I don’t have all the answers tonight, either,” Scheyer said. “I haven’t seen Caleb (Foster) yet, but those guys — we stepped up to have their backs.”
Foster started the game and scored five points before he was subbed out with 4:39 to play in the first half. He returned to the bench in the second half wearing a protective walking boot on his right foot.
Maliq Brown replaced Ngongba in the starting lineup after Duke listed the 6-11 sophomore center as a game-time decision in the ACC-mandated injury report Saturday at 4:30 p.m. Duke listed Ngongba as questionable on its official availability report submitted to the ACC on Friday night.
Ngongba was in uniform participating in pre-game warmups with the Blue Devils. While Duke did not rule him out for the game, he was out of the starting lineup for just the third time this season. He ultimately missed an entire game for just the second time this season.
Still, the top-ranked Blue Devils beat UNC handily.
“I learned something tonight,” Scheyer said. “I love the fact we’re in a different position tonight. I don’t love the fact that we were without Pat and Caleb, obviously, with their injuries — but we were tested. We had some adversity thrown our way. And we just talked about ‘weather the storm.’”
On Saturday morning, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported during the College GameDay telecast from Cameron Indoor Stadium that Ngongba was dealing with some soreness in a foot. Thamel said Ngongba did participate in the Devils’ walk though Saturday morning.
Ngongba, who has battled some hand injuries during his sophomore season, is averaging 10.7 points and 6.2 rebounds a game in teaming with freshman forward Cameron Boozer in the frontcourt.
Ngongba was limited by foul problems in UNC’s 71-68 win over the Devils on Feb. 7 in Chapel Hill. He played 16 minutes and had four points and seven rebounds before fouling out.
With Ngongba unable to play Saturday night, it left Cam Boozer and Brown to match up against the Heels’ Henri Veesaar, the 7-footer who had 13 second-half points in UNC’s comeback win at the Smith Center.
UNC played without freshman Caleb Wilson, whose broken right thumb resulted in season-ending surgery on Friday. Wilson had 23 points in the first game and kept the Tar Heels competitive during the first half, setting the floor for the Tar Heels’ late-game comeback on Feb. 7.
This story was originally published March 7, 2026 at 2:26 PM with the headline "Duke carries injury worries into ACC Tournament. The latest on Ngongba, Foster."
