As the Blue Devils took down the North Carolina Tar Heels, Duke starting center Patrick Ngongba II was on the bench and wearing a walking boot on his right foot.
After the game, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer said he wouldn't be surprised if Ngongba, along with starting point guard Caleb Foster, were missing from the lineup for the entirety of the next week.
This week, of course, is the ACC Tournament, and now the Blue Devils are having to reckon with the fact that two of their starters could very easily miss the entire thing. While Cayden Boozer is stepping up to fill in for Foster, Maliq Brown will likely fill Ngongba's role.
Maliq Brown might start entire ACC Tournament
Brown, one of the few seniors on Scheyer's roster, started against the Tar Heels, playing in Ngongba's usual spot. He earned his first double-double of the season, racking up 15 points, 10 rebounds, five steals, two assists, and one block.
While missing Ngongba for the conference tournament is obviously a loss, Brown's performance against UNC (especially as he went up against Henri Veesaar) was a great sign that he is ready to step into that starting role for as long as necessary.
Maliq Brown was an immediate yes for Duke when he hit the transfer portal and two things stood out to Scheyer and his staff:
— Blue Devil Voices (@DukeEchoes) February 4, 2026
1. His defensive versatility.
2. Playmaking, especially with his passing skills.
Coach Scheyer on his active hands:
“Wish I could take credit for it,… pic.twitter.com/5fz1nQGGqE
While Ngongba might have had higher averages, earning 10.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game, through the regular season, he also played significantly more time, seeing 23.6 minutes per game.
Brown has averaged 19.7 minutes per game, which was even lower before he clocked in for 30 minutes against UNC. With less time to his name, Brown averaged 5.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game.
His performance against the Heels was very likely a better idea of what the Blue Devils can expect out of him in the postseason than the stats they saw while he was playing a backup role to Ngongba.
As the No. 1 team in the nation, Duke is unsurprisingly the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament. That means the Blue Devils have byes through the first two rounds and won't see postseason action until March 12, in the quarterfinal round.
Now, that doesn't necessarily mean that with a couple of extra days, Duke will see Ngongba and Foster return to the starting lineup. Scheyer said the pair probably won't play at all this week, rightfully placing priority on their health for the NCAA Tournament.
On at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 12, the Blue Devils will face the winner of Florida State-Cal, which tips off exactly 24 hours earlier.