Duke secured the inevitable number one seed on Selection Sunday. But there are certain underlying conditions surrounding the Duke men’s basketball roster that are forcing people to throw caution to the wind before announcing Jon Scheyer & co. as favorites for the NCAA Tournament.

The Duke Blue Devils have been an utterly dominant team under Jon Scheyer, who has taken over from the legendary Coach K oh-so naturally. However, the Blue Bloods lost two starters, Patrick Ngongba II and Caleb Foster, ahead of the ACC Tournament.

And while Duke navigated the troubled ACC waters admirably, many experts have voiced concerns about their ability to match up with the nation’s best without their star duo. Jon Scheyer joined the Field of 68: After Dark crew, dismissing all doubts cast on their ability to challenge for the NCAA title in the duo’s absence.

Scheyer said, “To me, if you look at analytically where he (Patrick) is, his rim protection, he provides for our team, his passing, his scoring, you know, I mean, look, it’s him and Caleb that’s two of our top four scorers, although I think we’ve we’ve shown in the last couple days we can provide for the scoring in other ways as well.”

Ngongba could likely return in time for the NCAA Tournament. But Foster is out indefinitely, and an inexperienced Cayden Boozer is filling the ball-handler role for Duke in his stead. That didn’t stop Jon Scheyer from guiding Duke to another ACC Tournament trophy.

While Duke outscored opponents in the ACC Tournament, they were nowhere close to their season average of 82.3 points. In fact, Duke managed a paltry average of under 76 points per game on their way to the ACC title.

Isaiah Evans stepped up, though, for Jon Scheyer, and showed he can make the difference consistently for the Blue Devils. His game-high 32 points in the one-point win against Florida State in their ACC Tournament opener rescued Duke from an embarrassing upset. And his 4-of-8 shooting from the three-point line in the final helped Duke’s efforts in preventing Virginia from staging a successful comeback.

But Ngongba’s return would provide some much-needed paint presence for Duke to counter the pressure created by other inside-efficient top teams.

Ngongba’s road to recovery ahead of the NCAA Tournament

While Duke fans have accepted the fate of playing the NCAA Tournament without point guard Caleb Foster, Patrick Ngongba II could still make it to the active roster. The sophomore has been crucial to Duke’s fortunes and strength in the post, something even Jon Scheyer recognized.

Soreness in his right foot increased significantly during the regular season, forcing him to use a walking boot and a knee scooter to move without putting pressure on it. The 20-year-old missed the ACC Tournament to focus on recovery and is now day-to-day for upcoming games as Duke prepares for the NCAA Tournament.

Jon Scheyer gave us a detailed account of Ngongba’s progress during the podcast episode.

“We’ll have to see how this progresses, but it’s very positive. Like, I feel very good about how he’s feeling and the work he’s doing with our medical team,” said Scheyer.

Ngongba’s availability can change the entire script for Duke, especially with how Cayden Boozer has developed during the ACC Tournament. Cayden became the only player to play the entire 40 minutes in the Tournament Final win and is covering well for Foster’s absence.

While Scheyer has cautioned against playing Ngongba before he is fully fit, these are encouraging signs. Even if Ngongba can return in time for the Sweet 16 and beyond, it will strengthen this Duke team incomparably.