Patrick Ngongba II did not need a huge scoring night to show how far he has come. What he delivered instead was steadiness with a perfect 4 for 4 performance, 13 points, 7 rebounds, and long stretches of physical defense that helped Duke push past Kansas 78 to 66 at Madison Square Garden.
It was the kind of outing that looked nothing like his freshman season when minutes were limited and expectations were lower. Ngongba acknowledged the contrast, but he insisted his approach has not changed.
“Yeah, I mean, it is definitely a difference from last year,” he said. “Playing like I guess limited minutes and then this year playing a bigger role. But I would say nothing really changed for me in terms of preparation or nothing. Just talking my teammates through things and doing different things like that, I would say.”
Those different things showed up throughout the night with early seals, second chance rebounds, and the kind of interior presence Duke has been searching for as the schedule toughens.
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His toughest assignment came immediately. Kansas big man Flory Bidunga forced Ngongba to match his physicality possession after possession.
“I felt like I did a good job,” he said. “I definitely could have did better. He is definitely a physical guy to play against, and keeping him off the glass, you have got to hit him every time.”
There was also the foul trouble. When he picked up his fourth early in the second half, Duke’s lead was far from secure. Ngongba stayed locked in.
“My teammates, coaches, they all told me, next play,” he said. “That has been a big thing all year.”
His head coach pointed to that maturity as one of the important moments that helped shape the finish.
“We knew rebounding and physicality were going to be key,” Jon Scheyer said. “Patrick competed. He made winning plays.”
Ngongba is not calling it a breakout. He is not calling it a reinvention either. He is calling it growth.
And on a night when Duke needed stability inside Madison Square Garden, his growth was exactly what showed up.
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