Jon Scheyer gives new Caleb Foster update that changes everything for March Madness

Duke starting point guard Caleb Foster injured his right foot in the first half of the Blue Devils’ 76-61 win over North Carolina to close out the regular season on Saturday.  Foster was seen in visible pain on the sidelines and left the game with his foot in a boot and his leg on a mobility scooter. 

Jon Scheyer quickly ruled Foster, along with starting center Patrick Ngongba, out for the ACC Tournament, but ostensibly held out hope for a return in the NCAA Tournament, where Duke is the likely No. 1 overall seed. With Scheyer’s update on Tuesday morning, that hope is dwindling. 

At his Tuesday morning media availability, Scheyer clarified that Foster suffered a fracture in his right foot and is out for a “foreseeable” time after receiving surgery. According to Scheyer, Foster has already begun rehab, but Duke would likely need to advance to the Final Four for the second consecutive year for a return to be on the table. 

Caleb Foster out for a ‘foreseeable’ time, with door open for a possible Final Four return

The 6-foot-5 junior point guard first arrived in Durham as a highly-touted five-star recruit in the 2023 recruiting class, and at Duke, a player of that caliber is typically off to the NBA in a year or two. Foster's developmental tract wasn't quite so linear.

Foster was a solid contributor as a true freshman, but failed to take a meaningful leap in his sophomore year, and for a time had largely worked himself out of the rotation until a late-year revival, and a few injuries to teammates, saw him playing big minutes in the postseason.

This year, Foster has been a steadying force at point guard, averaging 8.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 25.4 minutes a game. His size has also been a huge factor defensively for the tallest team in college basketball by average height. With so much length and switchability, Duke is the No. 1-rated defensive team by KenPom.

Duke's undermanned bench will be tested in the postseason

While Scheyer left the door open for a potential Final Four return, it won't be easy for Duke to get there without Foster, and even so, there's no guarantee he comes back or is anywhere near the same player at that point.

So, Duke has to prepare for life without Foster, and that's a scary proposition for a team that, at full strength, played a nine-man rotation with the last man off the bench, Darren Harris, averaging just over 10 minutes a game. In Duke's biggest games of the year, such as its showdown with Michigan in February, Harris was cut out of the rotation completely.

Now, for the ACC Tournament with both Foster and Ngongba out, Cayden Boozer and Maliq Brown will both be thrust into the starting line while Nikolas Khamenia and Harris will be the first two off the bench. Scheyer will likely need to establish a reliable eighth-man beyond that group to survive the ACC Tournament.