Duke's Ngongba Out, Siena's Size In NCAA Opener

0:00On March 18th, here's the latest out of Durham. Duke basketball heads into the NCAA tournament as the number one overall seed, but they'll likely be without sophomore center Patrick Engongba, the second when they face CNN on Thursday. Coach John Scheyer said, it's very unlikely Engongba plays in the opener at Bonds' Coors Wellness Arena, though they're taking it day by day. Nungba has been dealing with a foot injury they kept him out of the final regular season game in the entire ACC tournament. Guard Caleb Foster also missed that stretch after foot surgery right after the North Carolina win. Both were key starters, but Duke adapted with a 7-man rotation to claim back-to-back ACC titles. Fans and players are feeling the impact of these absences, especially since Engongba led the team with 32 blocks and averaged 10.7 points and 6 rebounds per game. He's their top rim protector at 6-speed 11 and 250 pounds, and his energy has been missed in recent practices where he's still.

1:02Using a boot and scooter, Scheyer hasn't ruled out returns later in the tournament, maybe even the second round on Saturday if Duke advances. Foster is determined to give back, though it might take until the final four. Meanwhile, the team leaned on freshman Cameron Booser at center and others like Malik Brown to grind out those ACC wins. Deanna earned their spot by winning the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference title, marking their 7th NCAA appearance. They've got size with 7-foot Riley Movy and 6-foot-10 Tasman Goodrick, but face a tall order against the top seed after past losses to other, number 1 seeds. Support for this D&N episode comes from our sponsor. What is cooler than cool? A pillow that plays your sound? So L.I. SoleyPillow.com