GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Duke has starting big man Patrick Ngongba II back just in time for the No. 1 overall seed’s run to the Sweet 16 of March Madness.
The 6-foot-11, 250-pound Ngongba returned to the lineup for Saturday’s 81-58 second-round win over TCU in the NCAA Tournament’s East Region. He had missed five straight games due to soreness in his right foot, an ailment that had him sporting a protective boot and using a knee scooter.
Ngongba came off the bench Saturday and played 13 minutes, finishing with four points, four rebounds, four assists and one block.
“I mean, I felt good,” Ngongba said. “I felt tired at some points in the game. but that’s as expected.”
Ngongba hadn’t played since he started feeling soreness in a win at N.C. State in early March. That sidelined him for the regular-season finale against North Carolina, three Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament games and then Thursday’s NCAA opener against Siena.
Coach Jon Scheyer initially said the plan was for Ngongba to be back for the start of the NCAAs. After he missed the Siena game, Scheyer said he was hopeful Ngongba would be ready for TCU but he remained questionable entering Saturday.
Ngongba got a loud cheer from Duke fans as he hopped up to the scorer’s table to check in at the 16:14 mark of the game. And he had a quick basket that highlighted the value of his space-eating presence, coming when he turned on Liutauras Lelevicius and muscled him down to the block to score inside before TCU’s David Punch could get there to attempt a block from behind.
But Ngongba also had three of Duke’s five first-half turnovers in sign that he was still catching up to game speed.
Ngongba is averaging 10.7 points and 6.0 rebounds, playing alongside star freshman Cameron Boozer and helping the Blue Devils use an inside-out approach that has often overwhelmed opponents. He’s capable of attacking the rim (1.1 blocks) and passing out of double-teams (1.9 assists) while helping the Blue Devils routinely beat teams on the glass and outscore them in the paint.
Beyond his individual impact, Ngongba’s return also means less time that Boozer has to slide over to the center position instead of operating more as the 4-man.
It’s why Scheyer said Ngongba’s return makes the Blue Devils “more whole” as they head to the nation’s capital for next week’s regional rounds.
“For Pat to come back to this game was not easy by any means,” Scheyer said. “He was fighting like crazy.”
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
