The Duke basketball team begins NCAA Tournament play with a game against 13-seed Vermont on Friday. Unfortunately, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer gave a crushing injury update on Caleb Foster, announcing that Foster will miss the rest of the season due to a stress fracture, per the team's X account.
‘Coach Scheyer announced @iamcalebfoster is out for season with a stress fracture (ankle). Thoughts with our guy Caleb.'
This is a devastating blow to the Duke basketball team after Foster missed the past five games including the entire ACC Tournament. The talented freshman will now miss the NCAA Tournament and watch his team try to make a magical run to the Final Four without him.
Foster is averaging 7.7 PPG with 2.4 rebounds and a pair of assists and averages just north of 25 minutes per game, so this will be a tough role for Scheyer to fill.
Caleb Foster's injury a tough blow to Duke's Final Four hopes
The loss of Caleb Foster will be a significant blow to this Duke basketball team. While his statistics don't necessarily jump off the page, his presence on the floor is something important for the Blue Devils.
Foster was the Blue Devils' most important reserve and played heavy minutes on a regular basis. In the loss to NC State in the ACC Tournament, Duke played just three bench players and they combined to play 18 minutes with zero points. Against North Carolina in the regular season finale, Duke played just three bench players, although TJ Power burst out with seven points in four minutes.
Foster started 15 games for Duke and was tied for second on the team in three-point shooting at 40 percent, so there are a number of ways the absence of Foster will impact this Duke basketball team going forward.
Injuries during the season to both Tyrese Proctor and senior Jeremy Roach thrust Foster into a much larger role for this team, and he answered the call in every way and became a regular in the rotation. His best game came against Michigan State in November, when he scored 18 points with four rebounds in the win over the Spartans.
Duke begins March Madness play with a showdown against Vermont on Friday, and it will be interesting to see what Scheyer does to fill his spot. Duke enters as heavy 11.5-point favorites over the Catamounts, so there isn't a ton of worry for that one.
However, in the Round of 32, they would face either Wisconsin or James Madison with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line. Every year, Duke has Final Four hopes and aspirations, and this season was no different.
However, playing without a key contributor such as Foster will make that path even more difficult for the Blue Devils.
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