Duke sophomore center Patrick Ngongba II was sidelined for the ACC Tournament with a foot injury, and though he was seen in a walking boot in Charlotte, the expectation was that he would return to the starting lineup for the NCAA Tournament.
Instead, on Wednesday, Jon Scheyer announced that it’s “very unlikely” that Ngongba will play when the top-seeded Blue Devils open tournament play on Thursday against No. 16 seed Siena at 2:50 p.m. ET in Greenville, South Carolina.
While it’s a concerning update that Ngongba isn’t ready to go just yet, it’s undoubtedly the right call for Scheyer to treat his starting center with a little extra caution. Especially after already losing starting point guard Caleb Foster for at least the first two weekends of March Madness to a foot injury he suffered in the regular season finale win over North Carolina.
Duke can be careful with Patrick Ngongba for at least one more game
Duke was able to win the ACC Tournament without two of its starters in the lineup. The transition from Foster to Cayden Boozer wasn’t seamless, but Scheyer found solutions to keep the offense functioning without the additional spacing that Foster’s 40-percent three-point shot creates. Maliq Brown’s entrance into Ngongba’s spot at the five didn’t require nearly as much tinkering from the coaching staff.
Along with being named the sixth-man of the year in the conference, Brown was the ACC’s Defensive Player of the Year. He may not be the passer that Ngongba has proven to be in a two-man game with national player of the year Cameron Boozer, but his play on the other end of the floor more than made up for it in Charlotte. And if Duke can beat Florida State, Clemson, and Virginia without Ngongba, it can certainly handle business as a 27.5-point favorite against Siena.
The second-round matchup against either Ohio State or TCU may be a different story, however. Scheyer could afford to be careful with Ngongba in the ACC Tournament, and is wise to give him two extra days to heal his foot injury by keeping him out against Siena, but it’s a serious gamble to keep him on ice for the Round of 32. Assuming, of course, that Ngongba is healthy enough to go.
In his update on Wednesday, Scheyer told the media, “It’s very unlikely he plays tomorrow. We’re going to keep taking it day by day, and he’s itching to play. We’re not quite there for tomorrow yet.” That sounds like a player who is close to returning and who probably could if Duke faced a tougher opponent.
Scheyer will get to push off his Ngongba decision a few more days. That’s just part of the reward for earning a No. 1 seed.