Just hours before the Duke Blue Devils were set to take the court against the Pitt Panthers, head coach Jon Scheyer shared that sophomore center Patrick Ngongba II was questionable for the conference matchup.
Three days earlier, Ngongba had earned quite a bit of attention, fouling out of Duke's highly-competitive game against the UNC Tar Heels.
Then, in a pre-game shoot-around, Ngongba was seen wearing a wrap and brace on his left hand, the opposite of the hand that he usually had wrapped for games.
Patrick Ngongba with possible injury ahead of Pitt game
Early this season, Ngongba had already cemented himself as the starting center for the Blue Devils, supported by senior forward Maliq Brown, who saw a lot of time against North Carolina over the weekend.
Freshman star Cameron Boozer has also played the big-man role throughout the season, but is a little undersized to be a true center at just 6-foot-9.
While the Panthers are a far cry from the top of the ACC's competitiveness, missing Ngongba for any game is a big loss for Scheyer and his staff.
Patrick Ngongba II, questionable for tonight's game at Pitt, pictured here with a cast/wrap on his left hand during shootaround.
— Conor O'Neill (@ConorONeill_DI) February 10, 2026
He's had fingers wrapped for most of the season on his right hand.
First pic from Duke's Instagram account; rest from USA Today Images. pic.twitter.com/LUw8QzFwUH
Of course, Duke would also be without senior center Ifeanyi Ufochukwu, who has been sidelined with an injury since December, as well as freshman guard Sebastian Wilkins, who is utilizing his redshirt season.
The Blue Devils had not said what the specific injury was for Ngongba, nor when it occurred, so as far as anyone knows, he could easily suit up and play against the Panthers on Tuesday night.
No. 4 Duke (21-2 overall, 10-1 ACC) and Pitt (9-15 overall, 2-9 ACC) are scheduled to tip off at 9 p.m. ET, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.