Caleb Foster's improbable return helps Duke into Elite Eight

A quick look at the box score of Duke's 80-75 win over St. John's on Friday night will show that Cameron Boozer (22 points, 10 rebounds, three assists) and Isaiah Evans (25 points, four rebounds) played key roles in their win to send the Blue Devils to the Elite Eight. But there was another core player on this Duke team that played just as big a role, even if it did not show up as much in the box score.

It was the 11-point, three-rebound and two-assist effort from Caleb Foster.

Those numbers might not jump off the page as much as Boozer or Evans, but what makes Foster's performance so important is the timing of his play, the context of it, as well as the fact that he was not even expected to be there.

Caleb Foster returns just weeks after surgery to help drive Duke into Elite Eight

Before Friday's game, Foster had not appeared in a game for Duke since the regular season finale against North Carolina. It was during that game that he fractured his foot, requiring surgery.

At the time, head coach Jon Scheyer thought it was a "one-in-a-million" chance that Foster would be able to return for the NCAA tournament, leaving a huge hole in the Duke lineup. Foster ended up beating those odds and worked his way back into the lineup, giving Duke 19 crucial minutes on Friday and helping it overcome a double-digit deficit to keep its championship hopes going for another game. 

After the game, Scheyer became emotional talking about Foster's performance.