​The Duke Blue Devils went into the 2026 college basketball offseaon on a disappointing note. They blew a 17-point lead to UConn in the Elite Eight, ending their season and falling short of their goal. Now, despite losing some top talent like Cameron Boozer, Isaiah Evans and Maliq Brown, they return a pretty good roster for the 2026-27 campaign. They bring in a top recruiting class, a good transfer portal class and welcome back some talent as well.Among the players that are returning is center Patrick Ngongba who is back for his third season with the Blue Devils. Ngongba has developed into a starting center for the Blue Devils, getting better each and every year. He’s going to play a key part in Duke’s success this upcoming season and the frontcourt should be a major strength for them.In terms of Ngongba’s future, this likely should be his last year at Duke as well. With a weaker draft class in 2027, Ngongba is likely going to head to the draft especially if he improves. As we get set for the upcoming season, CBS Sports’ Cameron Salerno wrote on 10 prospects who could improve their draft stock this upcoming season. He included Ngongba on the list and had this to say about him:Ngongba is the most notable name Duke is returning this offseason and was part of several key retentions Jon Scheyer was able to bring back. After serving as a backup on Duke’s Final Four team in 2025, Ngongba had a breakout sophomore campaign and showed flashes of why he will be a future first-round pick. He is expected to anchor Duke’s defense and is part of a roster that is arguably the deepest in the sport. His numbers this season might not be eye-popping compared to his peers, but his impact on a nightly basis makes him a name to know for 2027.Ngongba averaged 10.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game last season, appearing in 32 total games. He did shoot 60 percent from the field and if he continues to improve, those numbers will certainly take a jump this upcoming season.