No. 1 overall seed Duke gets big man Patrick Ngongba II back for 2nd-round win over TCU
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 .