Michigan State fell just short against Duke back in December at the Breslin Center in a game that probably should have gone the Spartans’ way, but a really poor finish to the game led to the Blue Devils picking up a huge road win.
It wasn’t just Cameron Boozer who had a really good game against the Spartans, but it was also starting point guard Caleb Foster (12 points) and the defense and rebounding of Patrick Ngongba II. Those two starters were instrumental in the victory.
The Blue Devils, however, may be without both of them for a little while.
And with the regular season in the rearview mirror, any injury from this point on could be considered season-ending. According to head coach Jon Scheyer, his two starters will miss at least the ACC Tournament and one could be out for the foreseeable future.
Foster had foot surgery over the weekend and is going to miss some time, but he apparently wants to get back to playing as soon as possible. Not sure how realistic that is.
Foster is Duke’s fourth-leading scorer this season, averaging 8.5 points and 2.8 assists. He would leave a major void at point guard if he were to miss the NCAA Tournament.
Ngongba II is Duke’s third-leading scorer (10.7 points) and second-leading rebounder (6.0 rebounds). He also leads the team in blocks and he shoots over 60 percent from the floor. The 6-foot-11, 250-pound center had six points, six rebounds, and two blocks in the December meeting with Michigan State.
Not having both of those guys means that Duke would be down two starters and that might lead Michigan State fans into believing that the Blue Devils’ region wouldn’t be the worst thing.
Michigan State and Duke always seem to be in the same region
Michigan State and Duke have been paired in the same region for what feels like two straight decades. The Spartans and Blue Devils may not always play each other just based on one team losing before they match up, but they have faced off four times in the past 15 years.
I fully expect the Spartans to get Duke’s region once again.
While Duke is very good and has the best player in the country, if it’s short-handed, it becomes a lot more beatable because the Blue Devils have just three guys who average 10-plus points.
Plus, Michigan State probably should’ve beaten Duke back in December.
Duke will be either the 1A or 1B title favorite this year, but maybe that region wouldn’t be so bad if Foster was out for the entire tournament.