Duke HC Admits Team Has Injury Problem After Win Over TCU

Duke won the ACC Tournament despite running a seven-man rotation.

Point guard Caleb Foster is battling a foot injury that could keep him out until at least the Final Four, if not for the remainder of the season. Center Patrick Ngongba II missed the ACC Tournament and the first round of the NCAA Tournament due to a foot issue.

Ngongba returned to the lineup for Duke in the second round against No. 9 seed TCU. He played 12 minutes off the bench and scored four points to go along with four rebounds and four assists.

Duke played 10 men in an 81-58 win over the Horned Frogs at Ben Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. The Blue Devils got off to a slow start, taking a 38-34 lead into halftime before overwhelming TCU in the second half.

The first half was reminiscent of Duke's effort against No. 16 seed Siena on Thursday in the first round when the Saints took a lead and then took the No. 1 overall seed to the wire. 

That effort came a week after the Blue Devils had to fend off Florida State 80-79 to avoid losing in the quarterfinal round of the ACC Tournament they'd eventually win.

During his postgame news conference, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer admitted injuries have slowed his team down in recent weeks.

"What's happened with us the last two weeks is the fact that Pat and Caleb have been out," Scheyer said, via USA Today. "We didn't practice as much as I would have liked.

"Even going forward, that's something we have to be smart with. So just the habits, just the habits we've developed all year. I think especially on the defensive end, the consistency we saw in the second half, I would like to see that all the time."

Duke has a few days to get a rest and for Ngongba to get healthier before playing in the Sweet 16. While it wasn't pretty, the Blue Devils advanced through the first weekend of the tournament.

The good news: the Blue Devils haven't played their best basketball to this point in the tournament.