Caleb Foster injury: Duke guard out for 'foreseeable' future after surgery as NCAA Tournament looms
Top-ranked Duke may be without its starting point guard for most of the postseason after surgery
The postseason outlook for No. 1 Duke took a significant hit Tuesday when coach Jon Scheyer confirmed that starting point guard Caleb Foster suffered a fracture in his right foot in the Blue Devils' 76-61 rivalry win against North Carolina on Saturday. Foster had surgery Sunday morning and is out for the "foreseeable" future, Scheyer told reporters.
Duke finished the regular season 29-2, securing the ACC regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the conference Tournament. But the injury to Foster removes a key veteran piece from the lineup just as the postseason begins this week in Charlotte.
The injury also puts the availability of Duke's starting point guard in serious doubt for the NCAA Tournament.
Foster was injured late in the first half of Saturday's game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. After swiping at a driving Seth Trimble and attempting to chase down a loose rebound, Foster suddenly stopped and crouched near midcourt before signaling to the bench that he needed to come out.
He walked gingerly to the locker room before halftime and did not return to the floor. Foster later appeared on the bench during the second half wearing a walking boot on his right foot.
Concern about Foster's status surfaced immediately after the game when Scheyer said he would be "shocked" if the junior guard could play in the ACC Tournament. Tuesday's update confirmed the seriousness of the injury and left his NCAA Tournament timeline uncertain.
Foster has played a steady role in the backcourt for the Blue Devils this season. The 6-foot-5 guard is averaging 8.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists while shooting 44.2% from the field and 40.4% from 3-point range.
Duke is also managing another foot issue in its frontcourt. Center Patrick Ngongba II will miss the ACC Tournament with lingering foot soreness, but Scheyer is hopeful he will be available for the NCAA Tournament.
Ngongba had been dealing with the injury entering Saturday's game and did not suit up against North Carolina. The 6-foot-11 sophomore has emerged as an important defensive piece for Duke this season, providing rim protection and switchability while also contributing as a pick-and-roll option offensively. Ngongba is averaging 10.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game while connecting on a team-high 60.2% of his shots from the floor.
What it means for Duke, who steps up
All of a sudden, Duke feels very young. Seven of the top-eight players in this rotation are now underclassmen. Thankfully, Cameron Boozer plays like he's 28, not 18, but Foster was the steady veteran in the room who connected Duke's lineups together by playing rock-solid defense, avoiding turnovers, cashing open 3s and attacking long closeouts.
Without Foster, Duke will likely shift freshman Cayden Boozer into the starting five. Duke gets less shooting but more natural playmaking with Cayden Boozer on the floor compared to Foster. Cayden Boozer is just 15-for-51 (29%) on 3s this year, so the onus shifts even more onto Dame Sarr to continue to knock down open 3s when defenders swarm Cameron Boozer and shadow sharpshooter Isaiah Evans.
One concerning trend to monitor is that when Cayden Boozer and big man Patrick Ngongba are on the floor together, Duke has shot just 26.9% from downtown this year in 198 minutes against Quad 1 and 2 competition, per CBB Analytics. It makes sense, right? Defenses aren't worried about Cayden Boozer as a shooter, and Ngongba isn't a trustworthy pick-and-pop big man, so they can shrink the floor and hyper-focus even more on Evans and Cameron Boozer.
Jon Scheyer clearly has some tinkering to do with Selection Sunday looming.
