Duke vs NC State basketball injury report and predictions, Mar. 14: Latest on Caleb Foster, Dennis Parker Jr. and more

The Duke Blue Devils (24-7, 15-5 ACC) take on the NC State Wolfpack (19-14, 9-11 ACC) in the quarterfinal of the ACC Tournament on Thursday night. The matchup tips off at 7:00 p.m. EST on ESPN from the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC, will provide live telecast.

The 10-seed NC State Wolfpack beat Louisville and Syracuse respectively in the first two rounds the ACC Tournament. They've had a solid start to the conference tournament after losing four in a row to close their regular season. The second-seeded Duke Blue Devils, meanwhile, play their first game of the conference tournament after winning three of their last four regular-season games.

Both teams have multiple injuries to manage entering this game. Here's the latest on the injury report prior to this quarterfinal matchup.

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Duke vs. NC State basketball injuries

Caleb Foster, Duke

Foster is out indefinitely with a foot injury sustained in the Blue Devils' loss to Wake Forest on Feb. 24. No timetable has been given for Foster's return, but the Blue Devils are hopeful of his return for the postseason.

The freshman guard started 15 of 27 games this season, averaging 7.7 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists. Duke coach Jon Scheyer said about Foster's impact:

"He's had such a good year, and he impacts winning in so many ways besides just the box score. ... We're gonna be without him for some time. I don't know what the time is, but we have to adjust; we have to step up, just like we've had to do throughout the year with different injuries."

Christian Reeves, Duke

Sophomore center Reeves is out for the season after undergoing surgery on his ankle. Reeves played just three games this season, scoring five points and grabbing as many rebounds.

Jaden Schutt, Duke

Sophomore guard Schutt has redshirted his second season at Duke after having knee surgery. He did not make an appearance this season for the Blue Devils, but played 14 games last season, averaging 2.1 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.4 assists.

Dennis Parker Jr., NC State

Freshman guard Parker Jr. is questionable due to an undisclosed illness. Parker has played 29 games for the Wolfpack this season, earning 12 starts. He's averaging 4.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 0.4 assists in his first season at NC State.

LJ Thomas, NC State

Wolfpack guard Thomas is out indefinitely after stepping away from the team earlier this season for an unspecified reason. Thomas played 12 games this season in his sophomore year at NC State but hasn't been with the team since Jan. 30.

The sophomore from Plant City, FL, is averaging career highs in points and assists this season, with 2.6 points and 0.8 assists, respectively.

MJ Rice, NC State

Sophomore guard Rice is out for the season after electing to redshirt his first season with the Wolfpack after transferring from Kansas.

He battled many injuries last season while with the Jayhawks before transferring to NC State and declaring in September that he would step away for personal reasons.

Rice made his NC State debut in December and played nine games before submitting a redshirt request to the NCAA. He has averaged 4.1 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.1 assists for the Wolfpack.

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Duke vs. NC State basketball prediction

The Blue Devils open the game as the 11.5-point favorites as the teams meet for the second time this season. The last time they met was on Mar. 4, Duke's second-half charge boosted them to a 15-point margin of victory on the road.

Jeremy Roach led the Blue Devils in scoring in the first matchup, with 21 points in 36 minutes. Jared McCain, Tyrese Proctor and Sean Stewart chipped in with double-digit scoring performances as well.

The Blue Devils shot a lights-out 62.5% after halftime in their last meeting with NC State. Duke dominated the glass, grabbing 19 offensive rebounds, even with leading rebounder Kyle Filipowski playing only 22 minutes due to foul trouble.

The Wolfpack have had a surprisingly strong start to the ACC Tournament, beating Louisville 94-85 in the first round. The Wolfpack then upset the seventh-seeded Syracuse Orange in the second round with a dominant 83-65 victory.

In NC State's last meeting with the Blue Devils, senior forward DJ Burns Jr. exploded with a 27-point performance, shooting 12-for-19 and recording a team-high four assists.

NC State has surprised many by making the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament this season as they run into a talented Duke team. This will be their toughest test yet, but the Blue Devils should halt the Wolpack's run.

Prediction: DUKE 79-68 NCSU