The Duke Blue Devils have overcome near defeat in the first round of the NCAA March Madness tournament to advance to the second round of competition with a game against TCU on Saturday, March 21, 2026. Team leadership has announced injury status updates for starting players of men’s basketball program ahead of their matchup with the Horned Frogs.
Here’s everything to know about player status and injury updates from the Duke basketball team.
Status Update on Starting Center Pat Ngongba
GettyRALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA – MARCH 2: Caleb Foster #1 of the Duke Blue Devils goes to the basket against Ven-Allen Lubin #22 of the NC State Wolfpack in the first half at Lenovo Center on March 2, 2026 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
Pat Ngongba came to Duke as a highly ranked recruit and has proven to be a valuable asset for the Blue Devils with his strong post scoring and rebounding and rim protection. Having been injured earlier this season, his presence in the TCU matchup has been tenuous. However, Duke basketball coach Jon Scheyer has opened up about the status of Ngongba in the second round of tournament play, saying, “I’m hopeful he’s gonna be available for [the TCU game]. So we’ll see what he can do in practice [before the game]. I know he was itching to play [Thursday].”
As of the report of player availability issued by Duke to the NCAA on Friday, March 20, Pat Ngongba is registered as ‘questionable’ for an appearance on the court in the second round game. Scheyer continued his comments about Ngongba’s status with an honest response, saying, “Now he hasn’t done what he needs to do yet to return to play. But if everything goes well, we’ll see him back in there.”
Status Update on Starting Guard Caleb Foster
GettyPITTSBURGH, PA – FEBRUARY 10: Caleb Foster #1 of the Duke Blue Devils goes up for a shot against Omari Witherspoon #8 and Nojus Indrusaitis #25 of the Pittsburgh Panthers in the first half at the Petersen Events Center on February 10, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
Whilst playing against UNC on March 7, 2026, guard and starter Caleb Foster fell to an injury that saw him wearing an orthopedic boot later in the evening of the heated rivalry. His injury was ultimately declared to be a right podiatric fracture – aka a break in his right foot – which is a more severe injury for a basketball player to power through on the court. Hence, Foster’s status still sees him sitting out on game play and supporting his team from the sidelines for the “foreseeable future” according to Jon Scheyer.
The junior is said to be rehabbing his injured foot and working to get back out onto the court, but it seems unlikely – or at least in TBD status – that Caleb Foster will return for March Madness play.
The Blue Devils will take on TCU at 5:15 PM ET / 4:15 PM CT / 2:15 PM PT on Saturday, March 21. Streaming options for the game include Direct TV, Paramount+, Fubo, Sling and through the NCAA.
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