The Duke Blue Devils, the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Men’s Tournament, take the court in an East Region second-round game against the No. 9-seeded TCU Horned Frogs on Saturday.
When they do, though, Duke fans might be wondering if junior guard Caleb Foster and sophomore center Patrick Ngongba II will play.
Duke’s Caleb Foster Out, Patrick Ngongba II Questionable vs. TCU
As much as Blue Devils fans were hoping to see Foster take the court, that’s not going to happen. Foster is still dealing with a fractured right foot and has been seen still wearing a walking boot. So, Foster, who averaged 8.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in the 2025-26 regular season, will not take the court on Saturday.
What about Ngongba? Chris Vannini, senior writer for The Athletic, posted an update on Friday about whether Ngongba would be available to play the Horned Frogs.
“Duke center Patrick Ngongba is listed as questionable for tomorrow’s game against TCU,” Vannini wrote. “He hasn’t played since March 2.”
College basketball insider Jeff Borzello also posted an update on Friday on Ngongba’s availability for the second-round game. Borzello posted on X, “Duke big man Patrick Ngongba is listed as QUESTIONABLE for tomorrow’s game against TCU. Jon Scheyer said earlier today he was ‘hopeful’ Ngongba would be available to play tomorrow.”
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Ngongba has been dealing with a foot injury that kept him out of the ACC Tournament as well as the East Region first-round game. Ngongba, in the 2025-26 regular season, averaged 10.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. He also shot 60.2% from the floor in the regular season, too.
Duke senior center Ifeanyi Ufochukwu also will be out of action on Saturday.
As for TCU, sophomore center Malick Diallo will miss the second-round game for the Horned Frogs.
The Blue Devils defeated No. 16-seeded Siena 71-65 in a first-round game on Thursday. The Horned Frogs, thanks to Xavier Edmonds’ layup with 4.3 seconds left in regulation, defeated the No. 8-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes 66-64, also on Thursday.
MORE: Is Patrick Ngongba II Playing on Saturday? Jon Scheyer Provides Injury Update on the Duke Center
The Blue Devils will be looking for freshman forward Cameron Boozer to have another outstanding game. In the 2025-26 regular season, Boozer led Duke in points (22.5), rebounds (10.3), and assists (4.2) per game.
Duke sophomore guard Isaiah Evans, in his last 10 games, is averaging 16.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game while shooting 43.2% from the floor. The Blue Devils, 33-2 overall, and TCU, 23-11 overall, will tip it off at 5:15 p.m. ET. The game will be shown on CBS, too, from Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C.
