GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) \u2014 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\u00a0March Madness.<\/p>\n
What You Need To Know<\/p>\n
Patrick Ngongba returned to the lineup Saturday for Duke’s second-round win over TCU
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The 6-foot-11 center missed five games in a row because of foot soreness that developed\u00a0in March in a win at N.C. State\u00a0
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Ngongba came off the bench Saturday and played 13 minutes
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The Blue Devils head to Washington, D.C., next week for the Sweet 16\u00a0<\/p>\n
The 6-foot-11, 250-pound Ngongba returned to the lineup for Saturday’s\u00a081-58 second-round win over TCU<\/a>\u00a0in the NCAA Tournament’s East Region. He\u00a0had missed five straight games<\/a>\u00a0due to soreness in his right foot, an ailment that had him sporting a protective boot and using a knee scooter.<\/p>\n Ngongba came off the bench Saturday and played 13 minutes, finishing with four points, four rebounds, four assists and one block.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, I felt good,\u201d Ngongba said. \u201cI felt tired at some points in the game. but that’s as expected.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Coach Jon Scheyer\u00a0initially said the plan was for Ngongba to be back for the start of the NCAAs<\/a>. After he missed the Siena game, Scheyer said he was hopeful Ngongba would be ready for TCU but he remained questionable entering Saturday.<\/p>\n Ngongba got a loud cheer from Duke fans as he hopped up to the scorer’s table to check in at the 16:14 mark of the game. And he had a quick basket that highlighted the value of his space-eating presence, coming when he turned on Liutauras Lelevicius and muscled him down to the block to score inside before TCU’s David Punch could get there to attempt a block from behind.<\/p>\n But Ngongba also had three of Duke’s five first-half turnovers in a sign that he was still getting up to game speed.<\/p>\n Ngongba is averaging 10.7 points and 6.0 rebounds, playing alongside star freshman Cameron Boozer and helping the Blue Devils use an\u00a0inside-out approach that has often overwhelmed opponents.<\/a>\u00a0He’s capable of attacking the rim (1.1 blocks) and passing out of double-teams (1.9 assists) while helping the Blue Devils routinely beat teams on the glass and outscore them in the paint.<\/p>\n Beyond his individual impact, Ngongba’s return also means less time that Boozer has to slide over to the center position instead of operating more as the 4-man.<\/p>\n It’s why Scheyer said Ngongba’s return makes the Blue Devils \u201cmore whole\u201d as they head to the nation’s capital for next week’s regional rounds.<\/p>\n \u201cFor Pat to come back to this game was not easy by any means,\u201d Scheyer said. \u201cHe was fighting like crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n Follow us on Instagram at\u00a0spectrumnews1nc<\/a>\u00a0for news and other happenings across North Carolina.<\/p>\n