Duke basketball could be whole for St. John’s game. Caleb Foster injury update
For the first time since the N.C. State game on March 2, Duke’s Blue Devils will have their full lineup intact on Friday.
The Blue Devils, the No. 1 overall seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament, will have both guard Caleb Foster and center Patrick Ngongba II available and able to play when Duke faces fifth-seeded St. John’s in the semifinals of the East Region at Capital One Arena.
Both were listed as questionable on the NCAA availability report posted Thursday night, but were not listed Friday two hours before the game.
During a Thursday news conference, Duke coach Jon Scheyer said Foster practiced on Wednesday and will be in uniform Friday night.
“He had a good day at practice yesterday, doing a little bit,” Scheyer said. “We have to see how he feels today, and then hopefully he progresses well enough tomorrow. We have to make sure he’s in position before the game. It will be more of a game time decision, but he’s going to give it everything he has to go tomorrow night.”
Foster has not played since suffering a foot injury in the March 7 game against North Carolina in Durham. He underwent surgery the next day for a right foot fracture.
“I just go back to when he got hurt,” Scheyer said. “He told me, `Look, if I do this and work every day, you got to promise me, you’ll let me put this uniform on again with our guys.’ And he’s in a position where he’s going to try to do that tomorrow night.”
Ngongba, slowed by soreness in his right foot, took part in pregame warmups but then held out of the UNC game. He then missed the ACC Tournament in Charlotte and Duke’s NCAA opener last week against Siena.
Ngongba and Foster were limited to motoring around on scooters to keep their injured feet elevated, offering support in practices and from the bench in games.
Ngongba returned for the second-round NCAA game against TCU, playing 13 minutes.
“Pat responded well,” Scheyer said. “You never know how that’s going to go, but he’s on track to play again tomorrow, which is a really big deal for us.”
Scheyer initially said it was likely the Devils would have to reach the Final Four to allow Foster enough time to get back to playing.
But Scheyer, in an interview Monday with Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, updated Foster’s chances of getting back on the floor.
“When he first got hurt I thought there was like one in a million,” Scheyer said in an Inside College Basketball Now podcast with Rothstein. “Since then, the chances have continued to increase. I even think there’s an outside chance, maybe for Friday. I know in Caleb’s mind it was last Friday. He’s trying to do the impossible here and come back as soon as he can.”
Freshman guard Cayden Boozer has filled in well in Foster’s absence, but Foster brings more experience and an added degree of toughness to the lineup.
Foster has averaged 8.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 31 games this season, shooting 40% from 3. He scored a season-high 20 points in a road win at Louisville in early January, and had 12 points, 4 boards and 4 assists in the win over Michigan -- then ranked No. 1 -- that propelled Duke to No. 1 in the AP poll.
“We’ve missed him, a ton,” Duke’s Maliq Brown said Thursday. “He’s a big part of our team and has been huge all year long, especially in big time games.”
This story was originally published March 26, 2026 at 1:31 PM.
