Duke's sophomore center Patrick Ngongba II missed the rivalry game against North Carolina in the last game of the regular season with foot soreness which arose in their game against NC State on Mar. 2.
With Cam Boozer, a projected top-three pick, the Blue Devils (29-2, 17-1) are dominant and defeated the Tar Heels 76-61 without Ngongba II and junior guard Caleb Foster - the latter might be out for the season.
Regardless, there's no doubt that Duke would like to have their athletic center back for the postseason. Ngongba II is averaging 10.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 60.2% from the field in a breakout sophomore campaign.
We'll take a look at where he stands in his recovery and when he could potentially return to the court below.
When could Patrick Ngongba II return to the court?
Ngongba II has been ruled out for the ACC Tournament, but is expected to return for the NCAA Tournament according to coach Jon Scheyer.
Regarding Ngongba II, Scheyer recently said "our mindset is to get him ready for the NCAA Tournament...that's the priority. We're going to get him right where he's ready to join us when we go for the real thing in the NCAA Tournament," according to WRAL News - a TV station in Raleigh, NC.
At most, Ngongba II will miss four games - the UNC game, plus the three games in the ACC Tournament if Duke advances to the conference championship game.
It looks like Ngongba II will be ready to play once Duke plays in the NCAA Tournament which tips off on March 19.
