Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer announced Tuesday that starting point guard Caleb Foster will be out for the “foreseeable future” after fracturing his right foot during Saturday’s 76–61 victory over rival North Carolina.
The injury occurred late in the first half, and Foster later appeared on the bench wearing a walking boot. The 6-foot-5 guard underwent surgery the following morning. Scheyer said Foster is expected to miss at least several weeks and may not return unless Duke advances deep into the NCAA tournament: “He is on the road to recovery, in his mind and in our mind, we will do everything we possibly can with our mindset to continue to advance where we can give him a shot to come back when it’s all said and done. But he is going to be out for a forceable time coming up.”
Foster has been a consistent contributor this season, averaging 8.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists across 31 appearances, including 30 starts. He also leads the top-ranked Blue Devils in perimeter efficiency, hitting 40.2% of his attempts from three-point range.
Duke is also dealing with another injury concern with forward Patrick Ngongba II, wh will miss the ACC Tournament due to soreness in his right foot after sitting out the win over North Carolina while wearing a boot. Ngongba is averaging 10.7 points and six rebounds in just over 22 minutes per game, and recently scored at least 11 points in five straight games, including an 11-point, six-rebound effort in a February win over Michigan. The coaching staff hopes he will be ready when the NCAA tournament begins.
Despite the setbacks, Scheyer emphasized that Duke intends to maintain its approach: “Our team is determined. They can come right back on Thursday and pick up where we left off, understanding that it’s different without both of those guys of course. Those guys are a huge part of what we’ve done, but we aren’t changing how we play. We’re not changing how we defend and how we guard. I think part of the beauty of what we’ve done this season, by playing nine guys and [guard/forward] Darren Harris getting back in that rotation, the way he has played. All seven guys are impactful players and you can have a really good rotation with those guys.” Scheyer added that the team has rallied around Foster after the injury: “I think, simply put, our guys are heartbroken for Caleb. These guys love him. I think that’s part of why we stepped it up in a big way in the second half [against the Tar Heels], just having his back. At the same time, you aren’t going to see us making any excuses. You aren’t going to see us flinch. That’s what Caleb would want and that’s what we owe him.”
The Blue Devils enter the ACC Tournament riding an eight-game winning streak after finishing 17–1 in conference play. As the tournament’s top seed, Duke will face either Florida State or California in Thursday night’s quarterfinal in Charlotte.
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