Tracy Wolfson signals Caleb Foster is on track to return as East Regional turns star-studded
tracy wolfson said Friday that Duke starting point guard Caleb Foster was on track to make his return as the Blue Devils prepared for a Friday night Sweet 16 matchup against No. 5 St. John’s. The update landed as the East Regional slate—featuring Duke, St. John’s, Michigan State, and UConn—set up a “loaded” night of games and storylines. The immediate focus: how soon Foster can realistically go, and what his availability means for Duke’s rotation.
Foster’s status: “on track” after right foot surgery
Caleb Foster will play Friday night in the Sweet 16 against St. John’s, college basketball insider Adam Zagoria said. In a separate Friday update, tracy wolfson reported that Foster was on track to return for the top-seeded Blue Devils less than three weeks after surgery on his right foot.
The timeline has been fluid. Earlier this week, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer told CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein that when Foster suffered a fracture in that foot during a regular-season finale win over North Carolina, he thought there was a “one in a million” chance Foster would play in this year’s NCAA tournament. Scheyer indicated Foster’s daily work changed the outlook.
On Thursday—one day before the regional semifinal—Scheyer labeled Foster a game-time decision and described the player’s push to get back into uniform.
Jon Scheyer: Foster “going to try” and “give it everything”
In his Thursday news conference, Scheyer recounted what Foster told him after getting hurt: “Look, if I do this and work every day, you’ve got to promise me you’re going to let me put this uniform on again with our guys. ” Scheyer added that Foster was “in a position where he’s going to try to do that tomorrow night. ”
Scheyer also detailed the immediate lead-up: Foster “had a good day of practice yesterday doing a little bit, ” and the staff needed to see how he felt that day. “He’s going to give it everything that he has to go tomorrow night, ” Scheyer said.
Foster is averaging 8. 5 points, 3. 6 rebounds, and 2. 8 assists per game in his third season at Duke. He has missed the past five games with the foot injury.
How Duke has handled the last five games without Foster
With Foster out, Scheyer has leaned on freshman Cayden Boozer. In that five-game span, Boozer has averaged 13. 8 points, 3. 4 rebounds, and 3. 2 assists while shooting 48. 2% from the field. One highlighted performance came in the Round of 64, when Boozer scored 19 points and added five assists in a close win over No. 16 Siena.
Still, Scheyer stressed the value of Foster’s experience in big moments this season, including a 15-point, eight-assist game in a Nov. 27 win against Arkansas and a February performance against Michigan that included two made 3-pointers and four assists.
Tracy Wolfson and the East Regional spotlight on coaches and coverage
Ahead of what she described as a “loaded” East Regional featuring Duke, St. John’s, Michigan State, and UConn, tracy wolfson described the field as unusually packed with prominent programs and coaches—Tom Izzo, Rick Pitino, Jon Scheyer, and Dan Hurley—calling it a grouping that “does make you feel like a Final Four. ”
In the same discussion, she outlined a broadcast approach that balances program history with what is happening now on the floor, emphasizing that the focus ultimately returns to “the players that are playing now and continue to tell their stories. ”
What’s next Friday night
Friday night’s Duke–St. John’s matchup now turns on final readiness and usage once the game begins, after Scheyer’s “game-time decision” framing on Thursday and the Friday note from tracy wolfson that Foster was on track to return. With the East Regional billed as a heavyweight bracket, the next concrete development will be Foster’s actual participation once Duke tips off against St. John’s on Friday night (ET).
