Top-seeded Duke basketball will be without one of its key starters for a ‘foreseeable time,’ ahead of the ACC Tournament and 2026 men’s NCAA Tournament.
In a media availability on Tuesday, March 10, Duke coach Jon Scheyer said that junior guard Caleb Foster suffered a fracture in his right foot during the Blue Devils’ 76-61 win over rival North Carolina on Saturday, March 7.
Scheyer added that Foster had surgery the following morning and is already working on his rehab process.
‘He’s on the road to recovery,’ Scheyer said. ‘In his mind, in 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. But he is gonna be out for a foreseeable time here coming up.’
Caleb Foster injury update
Foster suffered his injury in the first half following a made basket by UNC. He lunged toward the ball and went down immediately, grimacing in pain. He was treated on the bench before limping to the locker room with a trainer. Foster spent the second half in street clothes and a walking boot and was using a knee rover to move around.
‘It was just an awkward play,’ Scheyer said. ‘He lunged and it just happened. He wasn’t feeling anything before, and it just happened really out of nowhere and you hate to see it. Some things you feel are preventable and you want to manage it and other things, other times, freak things happen. And I think this is one of them.’
Foster missed the last nine games of his freshman season with an ankle fracture.
Scheyer provided a timeline on a potential return for Foster, which would require another deep run for the Blue Devils in the NCAA tournament.
‘I think the reality of it is we’d have to advance to a Final Four,’ Scheyer said. ‘And is there a chance earlier? I’m not going to eliminate that right now, but I think that’s really difficult to try to even imagine that scenario. But we’re not going to have him the next couple of weeks, next few weeks here.
‘But again, in Caleb’s mind, he’s going to be back tomorrow, and so for me, I’m with them in the sense of doing something that hasn’t been done. Like I’m with them in the sense of let’s chase this, let’s keep winning and let’s give him the opportunity to join us.’
Caleb Foster stats
Foster has started every game this season for the Blue Devils. He reached his season-high 20 points against Louisville on Jan. 6.
Here’s a look at Foster’s stats in his junior season with Duke:
2025-26: 8.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.3 steals per game on 44.2% shooting, 40.2% 3-point shooting in 25.4 minutes per game (31 games, 31 starts)