{"id":182414,"date":"2026-03-21T10:39:26","date_gmt":"2026-03-21T14:39:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=182414"},"modified":"2026-03-21T10:41:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T14:41:32","slug":"can-the-duke-blue-devils-survive-the-tcu-horned-frogs-without-patrick-ngonba","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/03\/21\/can-the-duke-blue-devils-survive-the-tcu-horned-frogs-without-patrick-ngonba\/","title":{"rendered":"Can The Duke Blue Devils Survive The TCU Horned Frogs Without Patrick Ngonba?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Duke Blue Devils have not looked great without Patrick Ngongba<\/a> and Caleb Foster<\/a>. But the Blue Devils are undefeated since the pair suffered their injuries. Can they keep the mojo going against the TCU Horned Frogs?<\/p>\n

Can the Duke Blue Devils Survive the TCU Horned Frogs<\/h2>\n

Duke<\/a> is in the NCAA Tournament second round for the fifth straight season. But the Siena Saints didn’t make it easy for the Blue Devils, who are the favorites to win the 2026 NCAA<\/a> crown, in the opening game of the tournament. The Saints led by 11 at halftime and carried that momentum into the second half, leading 47-38 with 16:32 left.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, it was pretty much all Duke the rest of the way. The Blue Devils got within 61-60 at the under-eight-minute timeout. They outscored the Saints 11-4 down the stretch to secure a 71-65 win for their 12th straight win. It was also their fifth straight victory without Ngongba.<\/p>\n

Cameron Boozer<\/a> led the way for Duke, which shot just 40.7% from the field and 19.2% from the 3-point line, with 22 points and 13 rebounds for his 20th double-double of the season. Cayden Boozer<\/a> tossed in a career-high 19 points and recorded five assists with no turnovers. Meanwhile, Isaiah Evans<\/a> posted his first career double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.<\/p>\n

“They (Siena) played at such a high level,” Blue Devils coach Jon Scheyer <\/a>said after the game. “You’re down double-digits in the second half, and the toughness that these guys showed. \u00a0Cayden, throughout the whole game, did what he did. Isaiah has a double-double. Cam has a double-double. \u00a0I think these guys have showed over and over again what they’re about. \u00a0Today was no exception. It doesn’t matter what you win by or how pretty or any of that stuff. \u00a0It’s about getting it done, finding a way, and then learning and growing from it. I’m really proud. Credit to Siena just for their readiness and the way that those guys played. They did a great job.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The status of Ngongba is the biggest question for the Blue Devils heading into today’s game against TCU.<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Zachary Taft, Imagn Images\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/smartframe-embed><\/p><\/h3>\n

Will Patrick Ngongba Return Against TCU?<\/h3>\n

Speaking of Ngongba, will the 6-11 big man play against the Horned Frogs? That is the big question.<\/p>\n

Ngongba, the Blue Devils’ third-leading scorer and second-best rebounder, has been dealing with a right foot injury and has been sidelined since March 2 against NC State<\/a>. However, Ngongba did practice earlier today and is officially listed as questionable for the game, which tips at 5:15 p.m. (ET) in Greenville (SC).<\/span><\/p>\n

“I\u2019m hopeful that he\u2019s going to be available for tomorrow,\u201d before the team practiced today<\/a>. \u201cWe\u2019ll see what he can do in practice today, and if all goes well, I know he was itching to play yesterday. He hasn\u2019t done what he\u2019s needed to do to be able to play, but if everything goes well, we\u2019ll see him back in there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ngongba averages 10.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks while shooting 60% from the field. The 20-year-old has also produced one double-double despite playing just 22 minutes a game, though his value lies beyond the numbers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe interior scoring, the rim protection \u2014 it\u2019s important,\u201d Scheyer said about the importance of having Ngongba in the lineup<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ngongba gives the Blue Devils a vertical threat, as he is an elite finisher at the rim, forcing defenses to tag, rotate, and shrink. Thus, opening driving lines for Cam Boozer<\/a> and giving the Blue Devils open looks from deep — Duke makes nine threes a game at a 34.6% clip for the season.<\/p>\n

Ngongba also stabilizes Duke’s rim protection, as he is the Blue Devils’ only true shot blocker. With Ngongba in the lineup, Cam Boozer can be more aggressive, knowing he has a deterrent behind him.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n

Blue Devils Have Been Successful Without Ngongba<\/h3>\n

Scheyer has used a nine-man rotation for most of the season as they have been relatively healthy. With Ngongba and Foster, who likely won’t play again this year, Scheyer has gone to a seven-man unit with Maliq Brown<\/a> and Cayden Boozer moving into the starting lineup.<\/p>\n

Brown plays hard and is the Blue Devils’ “glue-guy” as he thrives on defense. Brown gives Duke someone who can guard all five positions, allowing the Blue Devils to switch ball screens and hide weaker defenders easily. While not a true rim protector, the 6-8 forward creates chaos, which generally results in steals.<\/p>\n

Offensively, Brown is not a huge threat, though he is efficient. Brown is also an elite offensive rebounder. Over the last five games, he is averaging 6.2 points on 67.7% shooting from the field (14 of 18) along with 7.6 rebounds, 2.2 steals, and 0.8 blocks.<\/p>\n

Duke has been one of the best teams in the nation this year. The Blue Devils have outscored their opponents by nearly 19 points this season, with their two losses coming by four points. They rank in the top-10 in the nation in both offensive (eighth) and defensive efficiency (third).<\/p>\n

Over the last five games, Duke has had a couple of close calls. Duke picked up a one-point win in their first game of the ACC Tournament over Florida State and a six-point victory over Siena.\u00a0 \u00a0Over the last five games, Duke has outscored its opponents 75-67, as Cam Boozer (22 points and 12 boards over the last five), Cayden Boozer (13 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists), and Evans (18 points and six rebounds) have stepped up their production.<\/p>\n

Duke Should Advance To The Sweet 16<\/h3>\n

While the return of Ngongba would help ease Scheyer’s likely anxiety, Duke should defeat TCU<\/a>. The Blue Devils are highly efficient on both ends of the court and have one of the best starting units in the nation. TCU is battle-tested — posting a\u00a0 7-7 record in quality games — and a physical team that loves to get out in transition.<\/p>\n

I have Duke as a 10-point favorite. So, expect TCU to cover the 11.5 points.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, I have Duke winning 77-72. So, the best bet is over 140.5 points.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Duke Blue Devils have not looked great without Patrick Ngongba and Caleb Foster. But the Blue Devils are undefeated since the pair suffered their injuries. Can they keep the mojo going against the TCU Horned Frogs? Can the Duke Blue Devils Survive the TCU Horned Frogs Duke is in the NCAA Tournament second round […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3146,"featured_media":182495,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,773,2,3,1],"tags":[861,48981,832,2901],"class_list":["post-182414","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-college-basketball","category-featured","category-news","category-uncategorized","tag-duke-blue-devils","tag-jon-scheyer","tag-ncaa-tournament","tag-tcu-horned-frogs"],"modified_by":"Daniel Benjamin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182414","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=182414"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182414\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":182494,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182414\/revisions\/182494"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/182495"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=182414"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=182414"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=182414"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}