Last night, the Duke Blue Devils got their revenge on the North Carolina Tar Heels, but the victory wasn't as sweet as it should have been.
In the first half, starting point guard Caleb Foster went down with an injury to his right foot and didn't return to the game. During the postgame press conference, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer shared that he'd "be shocked" if Foster played in the ACC Tournament.
Now, with Foster likely sidelined for at least a week, alongside Duke's starting center Patrick Ngongba II, who didn't play at all against UNC, college basketball analysts are significantly more hesitant to ride the Blue Devil train to the National Championship.
Jeff Goodman unsure about Duke with Caleb Foster injury
The Field of 68 podcast discussed Duke's win and Foster's injury after the game, and while the victory was a cherry on top of a great season, the main focus was the change in expectations with the Blue Devils' starting point guard out.
"He's a terrific defender, their best perimeter defender, on the best defensive team in the country... plus, he's a veteran," Goodman said. "Losing Caleb Foster's presence, especially on the defensive end, would be an expectation-changing loss."
Of course, it's not like Foster is Duke's only point guard. He just starts ahead of Cayden Boozer, who Goodman admitted hasn't been quite as good as everyone expected.
While Foster has averaged 25.4 minutes, 8.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game, Boozer has only averaged 20.7 minutes, 6.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. Not to mention, Boozer is a freshman and has never played in the postseason.
Duke gets their revenge against North Carolina, but at what cost?
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) March 8, 2026
"Losing Caleb Foster's presence, especially on the defensive end, would be an expectation-changing loss" - @GoodmanHoops
🎥: https://t.co/8tNJc2z0h3 pic.twitter.com/QZfxrGsJAD
During the second half against Carolina, Foster was seen wearing a boot on the sidelines and left the game on the always-despised knee scooter, apparently unable to put weight on his right leg.
The best news for the Blue Devils is that with the win over UNC, they cemented their place atop the ACC standings and will receive byes through the first two rounds of the conference tournament. That means they won't play until 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 12.
However, with Scheyer questioning if Foster and Ngongba would return at all this week, the postseason is suddenly up in the air for No. 1 Duke.