By AARON BEARD AP Basketball Writer
Top-ranked Duke has lost starting point guard Caleb Foster to a broken right foot that will keep him out for an extended period, while starting big man Patrick Ngongba II won’t play in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament while dealing with his own foot issue.
Foster was hurt in the first half of Saturday’s rivalry win against No. 19 North Carolina, and coach Jon Scheyer said Tuesday that Foster had surgery Sunday morning.
“In his mind and our mind, we’ll do everything we possibly can with our mindset to continue to advance where we can give him a shot to come back when it’s all said and done,” Scheyer said.
Ngongba missed the UNC game with soreness in his right foot and was sporting a boot on the bench for the second half of Saturday’s game. Scheyer said the focus is getting Ngongba ready for the NCAA Tournament by sitting him out of the ACC Tournament in Charlotte, North Carolina.