Duke’s Caleb Foster game-time call for Sweet 16 vs. St. John’s

From Washington, D.C., Duke coach Jon Scheyer announced Thursday that guard Caleb Foster’s availability for the Blue Devils’ Sweet 16 showdown against St. John’s on Friday remains a game-time call.

Foster, who serves as the starting point guard for the topranked overall seed, has been sidelined for the last five contests due to a foot fracture sustained earlier this month during the game against North Carolina.

The 6-foot-5 junior participated “slightly” in Wednesday’s practice, and Scheyer indicated that his progress and how he feels would dictate his status for Friday.

“He plans to exert every effort to play tomorrow evening,” the Duke head coach commented.

Before his injury, Foster was having a stellar season, having started 30 out of the team’s initial 31 games, with averages of 8.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists, alongside a 40.2% success rate from beyond the arc. He proved instrumental in several of Duke’s significant victories this year, contributing 15 points and eight assists versus Arkansas, 20 points against Louisville, and 12 points with four assists in a triumph over then-ranked No. 1 Michigan.

In Foster’s absence, Scheyer has opted to start five-star freshman Cayden Boozer, the fraternal twin of Cameron Boozer, who is a leading candidate for Duke’s National Player of the Year. During this period, Boozer has recorded averages of 13.8 points and 3.2 assists, and notably delivered 19 points and five assists in Duke’s opening-round NCAA tournament victory against Siena.

Additionally, sophomore center Pat Ngongba is anticipated to participate in Friday evening’s contest versus the No. 5 seed St. John’s (30-6), as stated by Scheyer. Ngongba, who has been a starter for 28 games this season, sat out five games due to a foot ailment before making his comeback in the team’s second-round triumph over TCU, where he played 13 minutes as a substitute.

This season, Ngongba’s statistics show an average of 10.5 points and 6.0 rebounds.