Patrick Ngongba II watched on as Jon Scheyer and the No. 1 seed Duke Blue Devils survived a first-round upset in the 2026 NCAA Tournament, taking down Gerry McNamara and the No. 16 seed Siena Saints on Thursday. Now, Duke turns its attention to the second round, facing the No. 9 seed TCU Horned Frogs for a spot in the Sweet 16.
The Blue Devils struggled against Siena for much of the game, even heading into halftime with an 11-point deficit. But thanks to the heroics of the Boozer twins, with Cameron scoring 22 and Cayden adding 19, Duke stormed back in the second half. And they also did it without their starting point guard and starting center.
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Ngongba has been a key player for Duke this season. The sophomore center from Manassas, Virginia, has averaged 10.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and a team-high 1.1 blocks per game, becoming a strong interior presence for Duke's defense. But Ngongba has been forced to miss the last five games, including the ACC Tournament and the win over Siena, due to a lingering foot issue.
And during Friday's media session, a hopeful Scheyer took to the podium to give an update on his starting center. The fourth-year coach noted that Ngongba could return against TCU on Saturday if all goes well at practice.
"We're about to practice," Scheyer said. "I'm hopeful that he's going to be available for tomorrow. So, we'll see what we can do in practice today and, if all goes well... I know he was itching to play yesterday. Now, he hasn't done what he needs to do in order to play, but if everything goes well, we'll see him back in there.
Duke will face TCU on Saturday at 5:15 p.m. ET in Greenville, South Carolina.
