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Caleb Foster injury update: Jon Scheyer states Duke guard's playing time 'can't be high minutes' if he plays vs. St. John's

Grant Grubbs Profile Pictureby: Grant Grubbs03/26/26grant_grubbs_

On Thursday, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer confirmed guard Caleb Foster will attempt to play against St. John’s in the Sweet 16 on Friday. Foster suffered a fractured foot in Duke’s regular-season finale against North Carolina on March 7 and hasn’t played since. In an interview with Jeff Goodman, Scheyer provided further details on Foster’s condition.

“The fact we’ve been talking about him playing is an upset. What he’s been doing is incredible,” Scheyer said. “His mindset is to give it a go tomorrow. Now we got to, again, have another good day today. But, he’s gonna give it a go.

“He’s not practiced, but he’s done some stuff on the floor. I can’t even, like, explain what he’s done.”

Foster’s presence would be a pivotal addition for the Blue Devils. He is averaging 8.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game this season, while shooting 44.2% from the field and 40.2% from beyond the arc.

Foster isn’t the only Duke player who’s dealing with injury issues. Until Duke’s win over TCU in the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 32, Blue Devils center Patrick Ngongba II hadn’t played since March 2 due to soreness in his right foot.

In his return, Ngongba recorded four points, four rebounds and four assists in 13 minutes. The 6-foot-11 sophomore also showed signs of rust, committing four turnovers. If Foster plays on Friday, Scheyer said he’ll have a minutes restriction.

“I was hopeful that maybe [Foster could play] the final weekend, maybe. But, again, I was trying to be supportive of him, what he was thinking in his mind, and he was just determined to get back for this,” Scheyer said. “I don’t think anything’s standing in his way. Obviously, it won’t be, no matter what — his first game back, like Pat — it can’t be high minutes or anything like that.

“But, just it’s another step, if he’s able to go, where we become whole. That’s what we’ve been trying to do, is advance where he can come back and join us.”

After a close game against 16-seed Siena in the NCAA Tournament’s first round, Duke cruised to an 81-58 victory over TCU in the Round of 32. In the win, the Blue Devils shot 55% from the field and reeled in 17 more rebounds than the Horned Frogs.

Duke will look to keep its postseason hopes alive Friday when it squares off against 5-seed St. John’s at 7:10 p.m. ET. The game will air live on CBS.