On Saturday night, the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils are all set to take on North Carolina in what's easily going to be an intriguing matchup. However, it's quite unknown if the talented Patrick Ngongba is going to be able to suit up or not.
Final odds and predictions for No. 1 Duke vs. No. 17 North Carolina
On Friday, Ngongba was spotted in a walking boot, which of course led to some panic alarms going off among the fanbase. On Saturday morning, ESPN has reported that Ngongba indeed was in a boot and that he's going to be a game-time decision for this monster ACC clash. It goes without saying, but this is not what the Duke faithful were hoping for:
On GameDay, @PeteThamel says Patrick Ngongba II is going to be a game time decision for tonight.
— Conor O'Neill (@ConorONeill_DI) March 7, 2026
Said he has "some soreness" in his foot. He went through walkaround earlier this morning.
It's his right foot, which was in a walking boot last night.
Patrick Ngongba will be a game-time decision for Duke vs. UNC on Saturday night
On the season, the sophomore center has impressed, scoring more than 10 points per game, while adding six rebounds a showing. He's been a force near the glass and he consistently gives opposing teams all sorts of problems.
The hope for Jon Scheyer has been that Ngongba will be good to go to try to contain Henri Veesaar and the other UNC bigs, but it's unclear at the moment if he'll play. Could it be smart for Duke to rest Ngongba and let him get close to 100 percent for the ACC Tournament?
Normally, Duke would need everyone out on the floor to take on North Carolina at home, but this game feels a bit different. The Blue Devils are currently favored by 17.5 points and the Tar Heels were just given the brutal news that Caleb Wilson is going to be out for the rest of the season.
While Duke never wants to overlook a team, especially UNC, this could be a game where it might be smart for Scheyer to be more on the safe side. He's going to want Ngongba at his best in the postseason instead of rushing him back too soon. We don't know if he'll play or not, but a final decision looks like it's coming right before tip-off.