The NCAA Tournament field is down to 16 teams, with three No. 1 seeds making the second weekend.
The Florida Gators' stunning loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes threw a wrench in a lot of brackets as the defending champions got bounced early.
Duke had a too-close-for-comfort Round of 64 game against No. 16 seed Siena, but Duke then defeated TCU to advance to the Sweet 16.
The Blue Devils are patiently waiting for star guard Caleb Foster to return after he suffered a fractured foot and missed the end of the season and the ACC Tournament.
Early reports suggested that Foster wouldn't return until the Final Four, if at all. But, head coach Jon Scheyer gave a more optimistic timeline as his team prepares for the Sweet 16.
"Since he's gotten hurt, Caleb, the way that he's worked, the chances have continued to increase," Scheyer told Jon Rothstein. "I even think there's an outside chance, maybe for Friday."
"He's trying to do the impossible here and come back as soon as he can. I think this weekend, I don't think I can rule it out," Scheyer added.
Jon Scheyer on Caleb Foster’s status moving forward for Duke.https://t.co/c9JLel3odd (Apple) https://t.co/EsZxIkcHSA (Spotify) pic.twitter.com/3WmNKxro4u
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 23, 2026
That's encouraging news for Duke and discouraging news for the rest of the field.
Duke faces No. 5 seed St. John's in the Sweet 16, and the Red Storm won in thrilling fashion as Dylan Darling hit a buzzer-beater to knock off No. 4 seed Kansas. And, it was Darling's first bucket of the entire game.
DYLAN DARLING GAME WINNER OMG 🚨
ST. JOHN'S ADVANCES TO THE SWEET 16 🤯 pic.twitter.com/cgtCSgKHe5
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 22, 2026
Can Duke Make a Final Four Run?
Duke managed to win the ACC Tournament even without Foster.
But, the biggest issue entering the tournament was depth, and that was shown early as Siena took Duke to the wire in the Round of 64.
However, the Blue Devils looked like a different team as they blew out the TCU Horned Frogs, 81-58, to punch their Sweet 16 ticket.
Duke faces St. John's on Friday. If Scheyer's team advances, it would be an Elite Eight game against either Tom Izzo's Michigan State or Dan Hurley's UConn, so a tough draw either way.
Related: Duke's Fatal Flaw For 2026 NCAA Tournament
This story was originally published by Lindys Sports on Mar 23, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Basketball section. Add Lindys Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.