Duke’s Caleb Foster is set to miss a significant portion of the season after fracturing his right foot.
The starting guard underwent surgery on Sunday, according to Duke coach Jon Scheyer. Scheyer acknowledged that Foster would miss “foreseeable” time.
Foster’s Injury and Potential Return
While Scheyer stopped short of ruling Foster out for the entire season, he indicated that a deep run in the NCAA tournament would be necessary for a possible return.
“In his mind and our mind, we’ll 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,” Scheyer said Tuesday.
Impact on Duke’s Lineup
Foster’s absence creates a void in the Blue Devils’ lineup. The 6-foot-5 guard is Duke’s fourth-leading scorer, averaging 8.5 points and 2.8 assists in 31 games this season. He suffered the foot injury in the first half of Saturday’s victory over North Carolina and did not return.
Freshman guard Cayden Boozer is likely to see an elevated role in Foster’s absence. Boozer played 29 minutes against UNC, filling in for Foster, and finished with seven points and five rebounds.
Ngongba’s Foot Soreness
Duke will also be without injured center Patrick Ngongba II for this week’s ACC tournament due to foot soreness. Scheyer hopes Ngongba will return healthy for the NCAA tournament.
The 6-foot-11 Ngongba is averaging 10.7 points and 6.0 rebounds this season. He also did not play against UNC.
Upcoming ACC Tournament
The top-seeded Blue Devils will play either Florida State or California on Thursday in the ACC tournament quarterfinals.
Duke face the challenge of navigating the ACC tournament without two key players.