Jon Scheyer's new Patrick Ngongba injury update leaves Duke fans guessing

The No. 1 Duke Blue Devils are set to face the Siena Saints in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, and while any matchup is a one-and-done game at this point, it doesn't sound like head coach Jon Scheyer is rushing to get his team back to full strength quite yet.

After the bracket reveal on Selection Sunday, Jon Scheyer went through the usual round of interviews, including popping into The Field of 68's breakdown of the tournament.

When asked about the return of Patrick Ngongba II, who was only supposed to be sidelined for the ACC Tournament, Scheyer didn't exactly seem ready to say his usual starting center would be in the starting lineup for Round 1.

Jon Scheyer won't say yes or no on Patrick Ngongba's availability, yet

"We’ll make the decision a few days from now. You’re in one-and-done territory, but you don’t wanna risk setbacks. But it’s very positive. I feel very good about how he’s feeling," Scheyer said.

Of course, his players' safety comes first for Scheyer, but his job is also to win National Championships; that's the goal every season at Duke, much less for this year's tournament.

However, he's completely right about not wanting to risk a setback in Ngongba's recovery, which could mean anything from just slowing down his progress to full health or the threat of a larger injury looming.

To put it into layman's terms, Scheyer wasn't ready to give Ngongba the go-ahead quite yet. At least, he wasn't ready to do that on a nationally aired interview.

While Ngongba may be nearing his return, Duke junior point guard Caleb Foster will still be sidelined for at least another couple of weeks, Scheyer hinting that he might be able to return by the Final Four, at the earliest.

Giving the Blue Devils a bigger chance of Ngongba returning for their first game in the NCAA Tournament is the fact that Duke and Siena won't tip off until 2:50 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 19, a full five days after the ACC Championship game.