How Caleb Foster's return to game action proved Elite for Duke basketball

Chip Alexander and Steve Wiseman, The News & Observer on Mar 28, 2026

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Duke faced St. John’s in the teams’ NCAA Tournament East Region game Friday night with all its major players available for the first time in nearly four weeks — and that included Caleb Foster, who’d been sidelined for four weeks after having surgery to repair a broken foot.

Duke entered the postseason without Foster and center Patrick Ngongba. After Ngongba returned from his own foot injury for Saturday’s 81-68 win over TCU, Foster did the same Friday — and just in time.

“He had no business playing today,” Duke head coach Jon Scheyer told CBS Sports after the game, a wry smile creeping across his face. “That was ... that was ... that’s a leader right there, and a guy who came through for us when we needed him the most.”

By standard measure, Foster’s 11 points, three rebounds and two assists were nothing noteworthy, save for the fact that he achieved those numbers after a month off. In the highest of high-pressure situations. On the largest stage of the season.

Easing back in

While both Foster and Ngongba warmed up, neither started. They both entered the game with 14:36 to play in the first half, with Foster tossing a lob pass that Ngongba dunked a few seconds later.

Just as happened in Greenville, South Carolina, last Saturday when Ngongba returned from injury, the Duke fans gave both players a loud ovation when they entered the game.

Foster broke a bone in his right foot during the UNC game on March 7 and hadn’t played since. He had surgery on March 8 to repair the foot fracture and has been rehabbing the injury ever since. The original timeline had him possibly returning if Duke reached the Final Four, April 4-6 in Indianapolis.

But Scheyer said earlier this week there was an outside chance Foster would return for Friday night’s Sweet 16 game. On Thursday, a day after Foster practiced with the Blue Devils, Scheyer said it would be a game-time decision but that Foster would certainly be in uniform to give it a try.

It’s been Foster’s burning desire since the injury occurred to return to play this season.

“I just go back to when he got hurt,” Scheyer said. “He told me, `Look, if I do this and work every day, you got to promise me, you’ll let me put this uniform on again with our guys.’ And he’s in a position where he’s going to try to do that (Friday) night.”

Foster has averaged 8.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 31 games this season, shooting 40% from 3. He scored a season-high 20 points in a road win at Louisville in early January, and had 12 points, 4 boards and 4 assists in the Feb. 21 win over Michigan -- then ranked No. 1 -- that propelled Duke to No. 1 in the AP poll.

“We’ve missed him, a ton,” Duke’s Maliq Brown said Thursday. “He’s a big part of our team and has been huge all year long, especially in big time games.”

Brown got an important reinforcement on the interior against TCU with Ngongba playing 13 minutes in a reserve role after he’d missed the previous five games. Scheyer said Thursday Ngongba made it through his return fine.

“Pat responded well,” Scheyer said. “You never know how that’s going to go, but he’s on track to play again tomorrow, which is a really big deal for us.”

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