GREENVILLE, S.C. — Patrick Ngongba II’s status is still unclear for Duke basketball in its second round 2026 Men’s NCAA Tournament game against TCU on Saturday, March 21.
Ngongba was listed as questionable on the NCAA player availability report that came out at 9 p.m. ET on March 20. The 6-foot-11 sophomore has not played since Duke‘s March 2 win over N.C. State.
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Jon Scheyer said in a press conference on March 20 that he was “hopeful,” Ngongba would play vs. TCU, but added that he “needs to practice.”
“We’re about to practice,” Scheyer said on March 20. “I’m hopeful he’s going to be available for tomorrow. We’ll see what he can do in practice today. 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.”
Ngongba is Duke’s third-leading scorer, averaging 10.7 points per game, with 6.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists. He has been dealing with a lingering foot soreness, being seen in a walking boot and using a knee rover to get around.
Duke is coming off a 71-65 win over No. 16 Siena on March 19, needing a second-half comeback to take down the Saints after trailing by 11 at halftime. TCU is coming off a 66-64 win over No. 8 Ohio State behind a Xavier Edmonds go-ahead 3-pointer, marking its first NCAA Tournament win since 2023.
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Tipoff between the top-seeded Blue Devils (33-2) and Horned Frogs (23-11) is set for 5:15 p.m. ET on Saturday from Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
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Anna Snyder covers Duke for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at asnyder@usatodayco.com or follow her @annaesnydr on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Patrick Ngongba II questionable for Duke basketball vs TCU in March Madness
