Improbably, Caleb Foster has a chance to play for Duke in tonight's Sweet 16 matchup against St. John's.
Just 20 days after he fractured his foot during Duke's regular-season finale victory over North Carolina, Foster is gearing up for a return. After initially targeting the Final Four as a potential return date, Jon Scheyer told reporters on Thursday in D.C. that his junior point guard would be a "game-time decision" and that Foster was going to do everything he could to play against St. John's.
Shortly after Scheyer's press conference, video leaked of Foster on the practice court without his boot or mobility scooter.
And then on Thursday night, Foster was officially listed as "questionable" on Duke's availability report for the Sweet 16. Foster will truly be a game-time decision, with how he feels in warmups likely determining whether he can give it a go.
Caleb Foster is a game-time decision vs. St. John's in the Sweet 16
Along with Foster, sophomore center Patrick Ngongba was also listed as questionable on Duke's availability report on Thursday night. Ngongba made his return to the court in the Blue Devils' 2nd Round NCAA Tournament win over TCU.
Scheyer was more definitive about Ngongba's status.
"He's on track to play again tomorrow, which is a really big deal for us," Scheyer said about Ngongba.
Ngongba's impact is hard to overstate. In just 13 minutes against TCU last weekend, Ngongba was a team-best +20 in plus-minus. He could have a similarly large impact against St. John's on Friday night.
So, too, could Foster, even if he's on a minutes restriction, which seems likely if he is able to give it a go. There's no substitute for experience, especially in March, and especially against a pressure-oriented defense like St. John's.
Three-point shooting could be the difference in this game, too, and Foster happens to be one of the best for the Blue Devils, connecting on 40% of his attempts this year.