What does it take to come back from broken foot surgery in 20 days and deliver a performance that leaves your head coach speechless in a Sweet 16 game? Caleb Foster apparently knows the answer. And Jon Scheyer cannot quite find the words to describe it.

When Scheyer was asked after the game what Foster’s performance meant to him, he did not answer immediately. He paused for about six seconds, trying to process what he had just witnessed, before the words finally came. “He had no business playing today. That’s one of the most special performances I’ve ever seen,” he said

Foster’s return was nothing short of miraculous; after fracturing his right foot in the regular-season finale on March 7 and undergoing surgery the next day, he was a last-minute addition to the lineup just 19 days later for the Sweet 16 matchup against Rick Pitino’s St. John’s.

Duke had blown a first-half lead and fallen into a 10-point second-half deficit, trailing 55-45 and looking like a team that had run out of answers. Then Foster came into the game. He delivered eighteen turnover-free minutes and scored eleven points in the second half. That single-handedly shifted the momentum of a game that had been slipping away. As Jon Scheyer puts it, “He was simply incredible, and he came through for the team when they needed him the most.”

Moreover, while many would rightfully credit Duke’s eventual 80-75 victory to Caleb Foster, this was also very much a team effort. Cameron Boozer was his usual dominant self. He recorded his 22nd double-double of the season with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Isaiah Evans, on the other hand, led all scorers with 25 points on a highly efficient 10-of-15 shooting. 

The Blue Devils entered this tournament as the No. 1 overall seed, carrying a 32-2 record and the nation’s longest active winning streak. They now advance to the Elite Eight, and there could not be a better time for Caleb Foster to have made his return. With him back in the fold, a Duke team that was already formidable has only become more dangerous.

What Next for Jon Scheyer and the Duke Blue Devils?

Jon Scheyer and the Duke Blue Devils will take on Dan Hurley’s UConn Huskies in the Elite Eight on Sunday, March 29. The Huskies enter with a 32-5 record after defeating Michigan State 67-63 in their Sweet 16 game. Whether Caleb Foster will be fit enough to log more meaningful minutes in this one remains to be seen. But regardless of his availability, this matchup won’t be easy for either team.

However, should the Blue Devils win, they will advance to the Final Four. There, they would face either No. 1 seed Arizona or No. 2 seed Purdue. Arizona enters the Elite Eight with a 35-2 record, having tied a school record for wins in a season after also delivering a dominant 109-88 dismantling of Arkansas in the Sweet 16.

A win there would set up a national championship game against a contender from the other side of the bracket, like Iowa or Tennessee. For a program whose last title was over a decade ago in 2015 and whose run ended in the Final Four last season, the pieces finally seem to be in place to go all the way.