Duke Braces for March Madness Without Two Starters, But Confidence Remains Sky-High

Charlotte, NC – Moments after cutting down the nets at Spectrum Center on March 14, 2026, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer stood at mid-court flanked by his players and staff, ACC Tournament championship hats pulled low over their eyes. The confetti had barely settled before the conversation shifted from celebration to survival: Duke will open the NCAA Tournament as the overall No. 1 seed, yet it will do so without sophomore center Patrick Ngongba and junior guard Caleb Foster, both sidelined with foot injuries suffered in the final week of the regular season.

The absences did little to derail Duke’s momentum inside the Queen City. The Blue Devils steam-rolled through three games in as many days, extending their winning streak to 11 and adding a second trophy case piece to go with the outright ACC regular-season crown. Still, the short rotation raises the degree of difficulty for a program pursuing its sixth national title.

“We’ve proven we can win under these circumstances,” Scheyer said, flanked by tournament MVP Cooper Flagg and freshman point guard Kon Knueppel. “Now the goal is to keep proving it against the best 68 teams in the country.”

Duke’s medical staff lists both Ngongba and Foster as “week-to-week,” leaving their availability beyond the opening weekend in limbo. In their place, Scheyer has tightened his lineup around a re-imagined starting five that blends star power with precocious youth.

Knueppel, the 6'4" first-year playmaker, absorbed Foster’s duties in Charlotte and showed rapid growth. After a shaky 3-of-10 shooting performance in a one-point quarterfinal escape against Florida State, he erupted for back-to-back 16-point outings in the semis and title game, logging all 40 minutes against Virginia while hitting 66.7 percent of his threes over the final two contests.

“Once the game slows down for Kon, you see how special he can be,” Flagg said. “He’s our engine right now.”

On the wing, sophomore Isaiah Evans offers instant offense. The 6'6" sniper poured in a career-best 32 points against the Seminoles, knocking down 7-of-16 from beyond the arc. When Evans heats up, Duke’s half-court attack becomes virtually unguardable, a reality that will only intensify as the competition stiffens.

Veteran defender Alessandro Sarr, a 6'8" Italian freshman, has locked down the small-forward slot all year with switch-everywhere versatility. Once considered a specialist, Sarr has discovered his stroke, averaging 8.0 points on 33.3 percent three-point shooting across the last eight games. His ability to space the floor could prove critical against zone-heavy opponents.

Then there is Flagg, the National Player of the Year frontrunner. The 6'9" sophomore is stuffing box scores at historic rates—22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.5 steals on 56.5 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from deep. With Ngongba out, Flagg has assumed even more responsibility as both scorer and facilitator.

Anchoring the middle is 6'9" senior T.J. Power, sliding over from power forward to center. Power’s quick feet and 7-foot-2 wingspan allow Duke to stay true to its switch-heavy scheme despite giving up traditional size. In four games without Ngongba, Power is averaging 6.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.8 steals, wrecking pick-and-roll actions and igniting transition chances.

Scheyer insists the lineup is “not a stop-gap—this is who we are right now,” and the early returns are convincing. The Blue Devils outscored ACC opposition by an average of 14.3 points in the tournament, holding two top-40 offenses under 70 points.

Still, the coach conceded that getting Foster and Ngongba back “would change our ceiling.” Until then, Duke will ride its retooled starting five, a bench featuring experienced wings and a belief that defense can travel even when shots do not.

Selection Sunday confirmed what most suspected: the road to the Final Four runs through Durham’s mindset, if not its campus. Whether Duke’s shortened rotation has enough legs—and enough healthy feet—to finish the journey is the question that will dominate brackets from coast to coast.

Tip-off for the Blue Devils’ opener is 72 hours away, and inside the practice gym the music is loud, the pace is frenetic and the confidence is soaring. Eleven straight wins say they can survive. Six more will say they’re champions again.