No. 1 Duke 71, No. 16 Siena 65

Jerrod Jackson Published: March 21, 2026 | Updated: March 21, 2026 2 minutes read

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Duke trailed Siena for almost the entirety of this first-round matchup before Jon Scheyer’s Blue Devils survived, avoiding the infamy that has befallen only two other 1 seeds: Virginia in 2018 (to UMBC) and Purdue in 2023 (to Fairleigh Dickinson).

SURVIVE + ADVANCE 🕺🕺🕺👿 pic.twitter.com/WAmwnhvGkA

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 19, 2026

After becoming the first No. 1 seed ever to trail a No. 16 at halftime, the Blue Devils outscored the Saints 39-22 in the second half to claw back from an 11-point deficit at intermission, ending the contest on a decisive 15-4 run over the final seven minutes.

Slim in the 2H:

13 points
7 boards
5-9 FG
20 minutes pic.twitter.com/LlHIPcnhwG

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 19, 2026

Much of the credit there goes to freshman point guard Cayden Boozer, who stabilized the wobbly Blue Devils midway through the second half and wound up finishing with a career-high 19 points, plus five assists, two rebounds and no turnovers. His twin brother, Cameron Boozer, the likely Wooden Award winner, also did his part, bullying the undersized Saints inside en route to 22 points, 13 rebounds and three assists.

find a way pic.twitter.com/5KwuVrYW7i

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 19, 2026

After the game, Scheyer said he was outcoached by Siena’s Gerry McNamara, a former Syracuse legend who is expected to be considered strongly for his alma mater’s job opening.