Crucial Injury Updates Provided on Duke’s Foster and Ngongba

The No. 1-ranked Duke Blue Devils (29-2, 17-1 ACC) capped off their 2025-26 regular season with a 76-61 victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium over No. 17 North Carolina (24-7, 12-6 ACC) on Saturday night. The Blue Devils ended the regular season on an eight-game win streak, winning those contests by an average margin of 23.1 points.

North Carolina kept it close in the first half, but Duke was always the clear favorite in this game. On Friday, it was reported that UNC star freshman big man Caleb Wilson would miss the remainder of the year after undergoing season-ending surgery, severely depleting the Tar Heels' frontcourt.

Feb 21, 2026; Syracuse, New York, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) shoots prior to the game against the Syracuse Orange at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

Once the second half got underway, it was all Duke. Jon Scheyer's club outscored the Tar Heels 37-27 in the second half while forcing 14 turnovers throughout the game that turned into 24 points for Duke. The Blue Devils outrebounded North Carolina 42-29 overall and 18-5 on the offensive glass.

Despite the Tar Heels missing Wilson, Scheyer and his staff also dealt with significant injuries, as sophomore center Patrick Ngongba did not suit up due to a foot injury. Additionally, Caleb Foster exited the contest in the first half with a right foot injury and returned to the bench in a walking boot in the second half.

Mar 2, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils center Patrick Ngongba II (21) reacts after scoring against the NC State Wolfpack during the first half at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

Critical Injury Updates Provided on Caleb Foster and Patrick Ngongba

Coming into the rivalry bout against North Carolina, Duke had already earned the outright ACC regular season title and the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament. With how dominant the Blue Devils looked throughout league play, it was incredibly difficult to see any squad in the conference taking them down.

However, Duke will now be undermanned throughout potentially the entire conference tournament. After Duke's win over UNC, it was reported that Scheyer said postgame that he does not expect Foster or Ngongba to play at all in the ACC Tournament, with the hope being that they will return for the NCAA Tournament.

Feb 28, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Caleb Foster (1) gestures to head coach Jon Scheyer during the second half against the Virginia Cavaliers at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke won 77-51. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

Impact of Losing Foster and Ngongba

Ngongba and Foster are two of the returning pieces on an extremely young Duke team, and both are putting together career years.

Foster is one of the best rebounding guards in the nation and is arguably the Blue Devils' best perimeter defender at 6'5". As one of the few upperclassmen in the rotation, he has been a critical veteran piece all season long. The junior is averaging 8.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists on the year on 44.5% shooting from the field and 40.4% shooting from three.

Feb 14, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA;Duke Blue Devils guard Caleb Foster (1) directs the offense as Clemson Tigers guard Jestin Porter (1) defends during the second half at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

Ngongba might be the biggest breakout player on Duke's entire roster, as the sophomore is one of the most underrated defensive bigs in the entire country. Ngongba is a constant threat in the pick-and-roll and has the ability to guard multiple positions on the floor at 6'11".

Both Foster and Ngongba are key pieces for the Blue Devils on both sides of the ball, and losing them for maybe the entire conference tournament is a massive blow. Duke will kick off its quest for its third ACC Tournament Championship in four seasons next Thursday.