1-seed Duke basketball took down 9-seed Baylor 89-66 to advance to the program's second straight Sweet Sixteen. Junior guard Tyrese Proctor led the way with a game-high 25 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the floor and 7-of-8 shooting from three-point range, but he wasn't the only Blue Devil elevating his play in Duke's win.
Freshman center Patrick Ngongba II gave the Blue Devils some great minutes yesterday as he continues to see extended time with the absence of Maliq Brown. A timetable on Brown's return, if any return is possible, is unclear.
Ngongba finished last night's game with eight points, two rebounds, and two blocks in 16 minutes of action. The freshman was only 1-of-2 shooting from the field, but lived at the free throw line, going 6-of-6 at the charity stripe.
The freshman hardly saw time through the first part of his freshman campaign in Durham, but began to see his minutes increase as Brown has dealt with injuries throughout the season.
Ngongba played at least 10 minutes in the Blue Devils' three ACC Tournament games and two NCAA Tournament games, averaging 8.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game on 15-of-20 (75%) shooting from the floor and 13-of-16 (81.2%) shooting from the free throw line.
After being a name not many people knew about for the majority of the season, Ngongba has flourished as the backup center for the Blue Devils behind Khaman Maluach, taking a lot of pressure off of the Blue Devils' star big man.
Ngongba also plays with a sort of cocky confidence, but a quiet one as well. The freshman is good at getting under opponents' skin with his seemingly unbothered attitude. Duke head coach Jon Scheyer was asked about the rookie's impact mixed with his attitude after last night's victory.
"Ya, a 'sly grin' is a good way to put it," Scheyer said. "You know Pat is a quiet competitor. He's got great feel, there's not really any moment that's too big for him. He just, he's really, really smart. And he understands the game well. But he's physical and competitive."
Ngongba's quiet but somewhat cocky demeanor gets under the opposition's skin quick, especially when the rookie is having his way inside and contributing to winning. Ngongba's minutes will likely stay where they are or increase as Brown's status continues to remain unknown.
The Blue Devils will face off against Caleb Love and 4-seed Arizona in Newark, New Jersey this Thursday at 9:39pm ET on CBS.