UNC great explains why the Caleb Foster injury is the worst of Duke's problems

After nearly an entire regular season at full strength, the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils have been bitten (repeatedly) by the injury bug, and all of a sudden, two starters are expected to ride the bench for the ACC Tournament.

No, Duke doesn't need to win the tournament, or even a single game, to ensure that their ticket to the Big Dance is punched, but missing starting point guard Caleb Foster and center Patrick Ngongba II doesn't feel great with the NCAA Tournament right around the corner.

While discussing the Blue Devils' sudden onslaught of injuries, former North Carolina star Justin Jackson made it clear that Foster was a significantly bigger loss than Ngongba.

Is Caleb Foster's steadiness more valuable than Partick Ngongba's size?

"That Caleb Foster injury is really big for Duke," Jackson said on The Field of 68's podcast. "For this team to be at its best, Ngongba and Foster need to be healthy, but Foster has to be at point guard because of the steadiness he brings."

Foster, the oldest player in Duke's starting lineup, has only gotten better as the season has progressed. By the end of the regular season, he was playing the best defense and shooting as well as anyone had ever seen.

"He's been massive for this Duke team," Jackson said. "He's shooting about 40 percent from three... Defensively, you can put him; he's a big guard, you can put him on a lot of different matchups. And the biggest thing is the experience that he brings for this Duke team."

A junior, Foster has already played in three ACC Tournaments and three NCAA Tournaments for the Blue Devils, including Duke's run to the Final Four last season. He is one of just five upperclassmen on the roster, and is now the second upperclassman (alongside Ifeanyi Ufochukwu) who is hurt.

Of course, while Foster got hurt during the game against UNC, Ngongba missed the matchup entirely, and backup center Maliq Brown played the starting role.

The good news? Brown is a senior who at least has some postseason experience, albeit just one tournament run with Duke after transferring from Syracuse in 2024.

"Maliq Brown filled in for Pat Ngongba probably as good as you possibly could have," Jackson said. "From that standpoint, it looks like you might be okay."

Jackson's right, at least about Brown's work against the Tar Heels. He recorded his first double-double of the season and did an incredible job against Henri Veesaar. However, it isn't like Foster's backup is a scrub.

Cayden Boozer, the twin brother of constant starter Cameron Boozer, is expected to step into the PG1 role while Foster is injured. The Boozer brothers have been unstoppable throughout their entire lives in the postseason. Now, it's time to see if that's true in March Madness as well.