Duke starting guard Caleb Foster has a fractured right foot and will be out indefinitely.
Duke coach Jon Scheyer announced that Foster underwent surgery Sunday, adding that the junior will miss “foreseeable” time.
Scheyer would not rule out Foster for the rest of the season but acknowledged that the top-ranked Blue Devils would have to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament for him to return.
“In his mind and our mind, we’ll do everything we possibly can with our mindset to continue to advance where we can give him a shot to come back when it’s all said and done,” Scheyer said Tuesday.
Duke also will be without injured center Patrick Ngongba II, who is dealing with foot soreness, for this week’s ACC tournament. Scheyer said he hoped Ngongba will return healthy for the NCAA tournament.
The 6-foot-5 Foster is Duke’s fourth-leading scorer, averaging 8.5 points and 2.8 assists in 31 games this season. He suffered the foot injury in the first half of Saturday’s victory over North Carolina and did not return.
Foster’s absence means the Blue Devils likely will use freshman guard Cayden Boozer in an elevated role. Boozer played 29 minutes Saturday against UNC, primarily filling in for Foster, and finished with seven points and five rebounds.
The 6-foot-11 Ngongba, who also did not play against UNC, is averaging 10.7 points and 6.0 rebounds this season.
The top-seeded Blue Devils will play either Florida State or California on Thursday in the ACC tournament quarterfinals.
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