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Feb 28, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Virginia Cavaliers forward Thijs De Ridder (28) shoots over Duke Blue Devils center Patrick Ngongba II (21) during the first half at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images Here’s the latest on Pat Ngongba , as Coach Jon Scheyer says he’s making progress. He talks about how analytics sees Ngongba, and what he has meant to Duke’s defense, especially inside.

And he also says things are “very positive,” but he doesn’t want to risk a setback. It’s hard to know without more information, but our sense is that if he’s not back for the first round, that he maybe should be back for the second round, assuming that Duke makes it. And in this tournament, of course, there are no guarantees.

To us, Ngongba is really critical for Duke. He gives everyone up front a lot more flexibility, for one. Recall at UNC that things went south after Ngongba and Maliq Brown fouled out.

And second, he makes the defense much better. In the ACC Tournament, Florida State and Virginia put more points on Duke than anyone has done in some time. And third, he takes a lot of attention away from Cameron Boozer and makes them play him more honestly.