ESPN analysts reveal key to No. 5 St. John's upsetting No. 1 Duke in Sweet 16

While Ngongba returned in the second-round win over nine-seed TCU (23-12, 11-7 Big 12), Foster remains out after undergoing surgery on March 8. According to Chris Lea and Brian Murphy of WRAL News, Foster's family says he "has a 50-50 chance of playing Friday night," but the injury concerns loom large nonetheless.

Duke struggled to put away the 16-seed Siena (23-12, 13-7 MAAC) in the first round, shooting 19 percent from deep and falling behind by as many as 13 before rallying for the 71-65 win. It was much of the same against the Horned Frogs as well as the Blue Devils failed to put the game out of reach until late in the second half after committing 17 turnovers.

For Williams, the former NCAA champion with the Blue Devils, he sees Duke's ability to take care of the ball as a key to its success against the Red Storm's style of play.

"Nobody questions the interior presence of Duke, right? But with Caleb Foster being out, you question a little bit of the youth of Duke around Cayden Boozer, even though he's played extremely well," Williams said. "The guard play of taking care of the rock against a St. John's team that likes to get out and run in transition is going to be pivotal for them to get the win tomorrow."

Cameron Boozer (22.4 PPG, 10.3 RPG) is likely on his way to the Player of the Year award, but St. John's will provide a stiff test. The Red Storm excel on defense and protecting the rim, while also getting to the charity stripe at a high rate.

In their most recent game against four-seed Kansas (24-11, 12-6 Big 12), the Red Storm survived a late Jayhawks rally and punched their ticket to the Sweet 16 after unlikely hero Dylan Darling's buzzer-beater. The fact that they still struggled to put Kansas away despite forcing 16 turnovers is concerning, but a potential upset of the Blue Devils cannot be ruled out.

When you consider Duke's inconsistent play and injury concerns so far in the Big Dance, St. John's comes in with all the momentum and is more than capable of pulling off the upset if it plays to its strength and avoids its occasional scoring droughts.