Duke vs. TCU injury report provides Patrick Ngongba hope fans were waiting for

It almost feels certain now.

Ahead of Duke's second-round game against the TCU Horned Frogs, the Blue Devils' availability report listed center Patrick Ngongba II as "questionable."

Now, most of the time, a player being listed as questionable isn't necessarily a great sign, but after weeks of missing Duke's starting center, the Blue Devils have been eagerly awaiting any sign of his return.

Not to mention that it's a huge upgrade from the Blue Devils' availability report ahead of their first-round game versus Siena, when Ngongba was listed as "out."

The availability was the cherry on top of a day filled with signs that he would be back for the second-round matchup.

Blue Devils list Patrick Ngongba as questionable vs. TCU

Kicking off Friday, a video of Ngongba still wearing a walking boot and still relying on a knee scooter to get around was released, sending a sense of doom out among Duke fans.

Then, head coach Jon Scheyer shared that he was "hopeful" Ngongba could return by Saturday, setting up the Blue Devils to have their usual big man in the lineup as they took on the Horned Frogs.

Even later in the day, the Duke men's basketball social media team released a hype video that included clips of Ngongba participating in a practice session, and another clip showed Cameron Boozer saying, "It's time for Big Pat."

So, quite literally, the availability report was what the Cameron Crazies and Duke fans across the nation were waiting for to finally let their hope of Ngongba's return blossom.

Of course, "questionable" doesn't lock down Ngongba as certain or available for Duke's second-round matchup against TCU, but man, is it a great sign that the Blue Devils and their starting center are heading in the right direction.

On Saturday, March 21, the No. 1-seed Duke Blue Devils and the No. 8-seed TCU Horned Frogs are scheduled to tip off at 5:15 p.m. ET, and the Round of 32 game will be broadcast on CBS.