Duke’s Scheyer Has Perfect Response for Patrick Ngongba’s Return
The 1-seed Duke Blue Devils advanced to their third straight Sweet Sixteen with a decisive 81-58 victory over 9-seed TCU on Saturday. The Blue Devils looked back in elite form after a major scare in the Round of 64, where they narrowly defeated 16-seed Siena, 71-65.
Duke had starting center Patrick Ngongba back in the lineup, who had been out since March 2 with foot soreness. Ngongba is one of the most underrated impact players in college basketball and serves as an elite defensive anchor down low for Jon Scheyer.
After a sketchy defensive performance against the Saints on Thursday, Duke looked dominant once again on that side of the ball in the Round of 32. The Blue Devils outscored TCU 43-24 in the second half and limited the Horned Frogs to 33% shooting from the field and 7-of-24 (29%) shooting from three across the full game.
Duke Was Being Extra Cautious With Patrick Ngongba
Even leading up to the final hours before Duke’s bout with TCU, Ngongba used a scooter to keep all weight off of his foot. The 6’11” big man has dealt with foot injuries for practically the entirety of his collegiate career, so it seemed like Scheyer and Co. were being extra cautious.
Despite not being quite 100%, Ngongba suited up for the Blue Devils and was extremely impactful in his limited minutes. The sophomore will likely continue to use the scooter to take weight off of his foot throughout the next week into the Blue Devils’ Sweet Sixteen contest.
Jon Scheyer Gives Perfect Response to Ngongba’s Return
Ngongba only played 13 minutes off the bench, but he was extremely impactful during his time on the floor. The sophomore went for four points, four rebounds, four assists, and a block on 2-of-2 (100%) shooting from the floor. He finished with a plus/minus of +20.
After the game, Scheyer had the perfect response after Ngongba was a decisive piece to the victory.
“He’s the first player to ever come into a game off a scooter and have +20 in the plus minus,” Scheyer told Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68 Network.
Ideally, Ngongba will be ready to play heavy minutes across the second weekend so Duke can get back to lineups with both him and Maliq Brown on the floor. Against two elite defensive squads that Duke will potentially face, either 4-seed Kansas or 5-seed St. John’s, having Ngongba fully healthy is a huge deal.
