Jon Scheyer's dream timeline for Caleb Foster return aligns with Duke's goal for Big Dance

You could virtually hear hearts break as Duke head coach Jon Scheyer delivered the news that Caleb Foster's injury was a foot fracture, which required surgery, and his starting point guard would be out for the foreseeable future.

Yet, Scheyer didn't entirely shut down the idea that Foster could return before the season was fully over, saying that the Blue Devils would "have to advance to the Final Four" to see a possibility of Foster in the lineup.

While that sets Foster's return for nearly a month from now, as a best-case scenario, it should give fans hope that the veteran guard's time with the Blue Devils isn't over quite yet (alongside the fact that he promised to be back).

Jon Scheyer's goal is to win the 2026 National Championship

While indicating that Duke would have to make it all the way back to the Final Four, which was when their season ended last year, for Foster to possibly return, he also shared that he wants to take it one step further this year.

"Our goal is to be in a position to win this thing to win the big one," Scheyer said while discussing the decision to sit center Patrick Ngongba II for the entire ACC Tournament so that he'd be fully healthy for the NCAA Tournament.

The Blue Devils have a lighter postseason load than a lot of teams, with byes through the first two rounds of the ACC Tournament. However, with injuries piling up in Durham, the load will be shared among players who didn't start for most of the season.

In Foster's place, freshman guard Cayden Boozer is expected to run the offense, and in Ngongba's place, senior center Maliq Brown is set to be the Blue Devils' big man in the paint.

No. 1 Duke will start its postseason run on Thursday, March 12, with a quarterfinal game against the winner of Florida State versus Cal. The Blue Devils will tip off at 7 p.m. ET, and the game will be aired on ESPN.