Duke guard Caleb Foster suffered a fracture in his right foot and will be out at least several weeks as the top-ranked Blue Devils head into the postseason, Duke coach Jon Scheyer said Tuesday.

Foster was injured late in the first half of Saturday’s regular-season finale against rival North Carolina. He underwent surgery Sunday morning and is likely out until at least the Final Four, if Duke advances that far. 

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It is not certain that Foster will return this season.

“In our mind, we’ll do everything we possibly can with our mindset to continue to advance where we can give him a shot to come back when it’s all said and done,” Scheyer said Tuesday morning. “But he is going to be out for a foreseeable time.”

Patrick Ngongba missed the final regular-season game and has been ruled out for the ACC Tournament with right foot soreness, Scheyer said. He is expected to return for the Blue Devils’ NCAA Tournament opener.

The Blue Devils (29-2, 17-1 in the ACC) earned the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament. They play in Thursday’s quarterfinals. The tournament begins Tuesday in Charlotte.

“Our mindset is to get him ready for the NCAA Tournament,” Scheyer said. “That’s the priority. That’s our focus. We’re going to get him right where he’s ready to join us when we go for the real thing here in the NCAA Tournament.”

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Foster, a junior, averaged 8.5 points and 2.8 assists per game in the regular season. He played 25.3 minutes per game, splitting time with freshman Cayden Boozer (20.8 minutes per game) as the team’s lead guard. Foster shot 40.2% from 3-point range.

He missed the end of his freshman season with a right foot injury. 

Scheyer said Foster needs two weeks of rest after the surgery before he can even start a comeback attempt.

‘In Caleb’s mind, he’s going to be back tomorrow,” Scheyer said. “For me, I’m with him in the sense of doing something that hasn’t been done. I’m with him in the sense of let’s chase this, let’s keep winning, let’s give him the opportunity to join us.”

Without Foster, Boozer will see more playing time. Scheyer said the Blue Devils will likely use a committee approach to initiate offense. Duke has often run its offense through forward Cameron Boozer, the ACC Player of the Year. Cameron Boozer leads the team in points, rebounds and assists.

Ngongba, a 6-foot-11 sophomore, averaged 10.7 points and 6.0 rebounds in 29 regular-season games. He led the team with 32 blocks.

Without Ngongba, senior Maliq Brown — the ACC’s Defensive Player of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year — will move into the starting lineup. Brown averaged 5.0 points and 4.7 rebounds in 31 games (three starts). 

But those numbers underscore Brown’s impact. In 30 minutes against UNC, Brown had 15 points, nine rebounds and three steals.

“Maliq dominated the game,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said. “Obviously, Cameron is a gifted player, but I felt like Maliq’s presence disrupted us on both ends of the floor.”

The Blue Devils have won a record 23 ACC Tournament titles and 11 times they’ve won both the regular season and tournament crowns in the same season, including last year. In the 2025 tournament, Duke played without Brown and lost star Cooper Flagg early in the first game — and still won the title.

But Scheyer — the ACC Coach of the Year — has his eyes on the program’s sixth national title and first without legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski.

He said: “Our goal is to be in a position to win this thing, to win the big one."

2026 T. Rowe Price ACC Men's Basketball Tournament

Spectrum Center • Charlotte, N.C.

Tuesday, March 10 (First Round)

#15 Pitt vs #10 Stanford | ACCN | 2 p.m.

#14 Syracuse vs #11 SMU | ACCN | 4:30 p.m.

#13 Wake Forest vs #12 Virginia Tech | ACCN | 7 p.m.

Wednesday, March 11 (Second Round)

#10/15 Seed vs #7 NC State | ESPN2 | Noon

#11/14 Seed vs #6 Louisville | ESPN | 2:30 p.m.

#9 California vs #8 Florida State | ESPNU | 7 p.m.

#12/13 Seed vs #5 Clemson | ESPNU | 9:30 p.m.

Thursday, March 12 (Quarterfinals)

#7/10/15 Seed vs #2 Virginia | ESPN2 | Noon

#6/11/14 Seed vs #3 Miami | ESPN2 | 2:30 p.m.

#8/9 Seed vs #1 Duke | ESPN | 7 p.m.

#5/12/13 Seed vs #4 North Carolina | ESPN | 9:30 p.m.

Friday, March 13 (Semifinals)

Thursday Afternoon Winners | ESPN/2 | 7/9:30 p.m.

Thursday Evening Winners | ESPN/2 | 7/9:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 14 (Championship)

Championship Game | ESPN | 8:30 p.m.