No. 1 Duke and No. 2 UConn will lock horns in the Elite Eight of the 2026 NCAA Tournament on Sunday. The Blue Devils are still dealing with some injury concerns ahead of the game, although both Patrick Ngongba II and Caleb Foster have returned to action.
Both Duke and UConn have established themselves as March Madness heavyweights in recent years, but only one of these two teams will make the Final Four this year.
Latest Duke and UConn Injury Updates for the Elite Eight
Foster’s return to action during Duke’s Sweet 16 clash against St. John’s left the college basketball world stunned as the guard delivered a promising performance. He played 19 minutes off the bench and scored 11 points, shooting 62.5% from the field.
His return came just three weeks after he suffered a right foot fracture, and the performance left even Duke head coach Jon Scheyer stunned.
“Still a little stunned with what happened, to be honest with you guys. He had no business playing tonight. Ninety-nine percent of guys do not come back to play under the circumstances of what’s happened to him. It was incredible the way he willed us,” Scheyer said after the game (via ESPN).
Foster played a vital role against St. John’s and is expected to do the same tonight. It has been confirmed that Foster will play against UConn, but will come off the bench. Regardless of how, Foster’s presence will surely affect the scoreboard.
MARCH MADNESS: Fill In Your Bracket Now!
Another big name who remains under an injury cloud is Ngongba, who returned from a foot stress fracture in the second round. The center played 13 minutes off the bench against the TCU Horned Frogs and a further 17 off the bench against St. John’s.
Ngongba scored 3 points in the Sweet 16 clash. He went 1-for-1 from the field but made only 1 of his 6 free throws. He also finished with 2 rebounds and 1 assist.
It will be interesting to see how many minutes Ngongba can manage on Sunday. The center was seen leaving the arena on a scooter and walking boot after the game against TCU. Recent reports also claim that Ngongba will also come off the bench for Duke, like Foster.
The Duke Blue Devils remain without Sebastian Wilkins and Ifeanyi Ufochukwu, who are out for the season.
As for the UConn Huskies, there aren’t any injury concerns to note following the returns of Jaylin Stewart and Silas Demary Jr.
Demary came off the bench in the second round against UCLA and played 22 minutes before starting against Michigan State. He scored only 2 points in both games but looked considerably sharper in the Sweet 16 clash. Stewart made his return from a knee injury in the Sweet 16 and will likely be under a minutes restriction again on Sunday.
UConn will be counting on Tarris Reed Jr. to lead the way once again after he scored 20 points against Michigan State. He will be up against Duke star Cameron Boozer, who is coming off a 22-point game against St. John’s.
