New Caleb Foster photo won't give Duke fans hope on a return for Final Four

After going down against the North Carolina Tar Heels, the Duke Blue Devils feared the worst for junior point guard Caleb Foster.

Then, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer shared he was remaining hopeful that Foster could return this season if the Blue Devils made it back to the Final Four.

Now, with a picture going viral of Foster wearing a walking boot but still relying on a knee scooter to get around, that hope is starting to lose its shine.

Caleb Foster still relying on knee scooter is bad news for Duke

Foster, of course, is one of the few Blue Devils with actual experience in the NCAA Tournament, with most of Duke's starting lineup only in their freshman or sophomore seasons.

While Maliq Brown, the new starting center as Patrick Ngongba II also rehabs a lower leg injury, has played in a few postseason tournaments, nothing quite compares to Foster's poise and familiarity in the postseason.

Obviously, Scheyer's hope that Foster could return by the Final Four was an idealistic timeline. Nonetheless, Foster still relying on the knee scooter just to get around the arena, much less being able to go through drills, is a bad sign for that dream becoming a reality.

While Foster has been done for the count, freshman point guard Cayden Boozer has done a miraculous job stepping into the starting role. He was a crucial piece in Duke's defense of the ACC Tournament title, and looked like the blue-chip prospect he was coming out of high school last year.

Foster's absence in the starting lineup undeniably hurts the Blue Devils, both literally and metaphorically, as Duke's odds to win the National Championship continue to drop.

However, if you look at the second half of Duke's win against UNC and the Blue Devils' run through the ACC Tournament, Scheyer's squad looks like they will be just fine in the Big Dance, even if Foster can't return for the final two games of the season.