The opening round of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament delivered heart-stopping drama as the top-seeded Duke Blue Devils narrowly escaped a historic upset, rallying in the final minutes to defeat the valiant No. 16 seed Siena Saints, 71-65, on Thursday afternoon at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.
With the Blue Devils entering the tournament as Atlantic Coast Conference champions and the tournament’s overall No. 1 seed, expectations were sky-high. Duke arrived with a glittering 32-2 record, boasting an 11-game winning streak and only two razor-thin losses all season—an 82-81 thriller against Texas Tech and a 72-68 heartbreaker at North Carolina. Yet, for much of Thursday’s game, the story was Siena’s fearless push to make history.
Duke’s path to this game had been dominant. The Blue Devils steamrolled through the ACC, clinching the regular-season title with a 17-1 league record and capturing the league tournament with a nail-biting 74-70 win over Virginia. But adversity struck before tipoff: starters Patrick Ngongba II and Caleb Foster, both sidelined by foot injuries, were ruled out, leaving Duke’s rotation thinner than usual. Head coach Jon Scheyer rolled out a starting five of Cameron and Cayden Boozer, Isaiah Evans, Maliq Brown, and Dame Sarr—the same group that had carried Duke through the ACC Tournament.
Siena, meanwhile, arrived in Greenville with plenty of momentum of their own. The Saints clinched the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) championship with a gritty 64-54 win over Merrimack, earning the league’s automatic bid. Despite a third-place finish in the MAAC regular season, Siena entered the Big Dance on a four-game winning streak, led by dynamic guard Gavin Doty (17.9 points, 7 rebounds per game) and Justice Shoats (13.2 points, 4.4 assists per game). The Saints showed no fear in the face of the tournament’s top dog.
The first half belonged to Siena. The Saints came out firing, unfazed by the Blue Devils’ pedigree or the raucous, largely pro-Duke crowd. Gavin Doty set the tone early, drilling a corner three as the shot clock expired, and forward Francis Folefac followed with another deep triple. After Duke hit its first four field goals, their offense sputtered, enduring a brutal 8:23 field-goal drought that allowed Siena to surge ahead. Back-to-back threes from Brendan Coyle forced an early timeout from Scheyer, and by the under-12 minute mark, Siena had seized a 10-point lead.
“We just couldn’t find our rhythm,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer was seen urging his team during a timeout, visibly frustrated after a foul call in the first half. The Blue Devils struggled mightily from beyond the arc, finishing the first half just 2-for-15 (13%) from three-point range. Even when Cameron Boozer managed to break free from Siena’s double-teams and found open shooters, the shots simply wouldn’t fall. Siena’s late switch to a zone defense only compounded Duke’s woes, as the Blue Devils failed to make a three-pointer after the 17:41 mark of the half.
At halftime, the scoreboard told a shocking story: Siena 43, Duke 32. The Saints’ balanced attack was spearheaded by Doty and Folefac, who combined for 29 of the team’s 43 first-half points. Folefac, using all of his 245 pounds to bully Duke’s wings in the post, scored 13 points and grabbed five rebounds before the break. Doty’s three-level scoring and poised playmaking kept Siena humming, while Justice Shoats added a tough Euro step over Cameron Boozer for an early lead. The Blue Devils, meanwhile, looked shell-shocked, their offense out of sync and their defense scrambling to contain Siena’s shooters.
But if there’s one thing March Madness has taught fans, it’s never to count out a No. 1 seed—especially one with Duke’s pedigree. The Blue Devils emerged from the locker room with renewed focus, slowly chipping away at the deficit. Cameron Boozer, recently crowned ACC Player of the Year and averaging 22.5 points with 10.2 rebounds per game, began to assert himself on both ends. Boozer’s defensive rebounding and timely buckets steadied Duke, while Dame Sarr and Cayden Boozer contributed key baskets to keep the Saints within reach.
Siena, though, refused to back down. Doty continued to score in bunches, and Folefac remained a force inside. For much of the second half, the Saints held the lead, threatening to become just the second No. 16 seed in men’s tournament history to topple a No. 1. The tension inside Bon Secours Wellness Arena was palpable—could the unthinkable happen again?
With less than two minutes remaining, the game hung in the balance. Duke finally tied the score at 61-61 with 1:55 left, capping a furious rally fueled by stifling defense and a Siena scoring drought that stretched for six agonizing minutes. The Blue Devils capitalized, stringing together stops and clutch free throws to seize their first lead of the game late in the second half. Cameron Boozer’s poise and leadership shone through, as he kept the ball away from Siena’s Riley Mulvey and powered home crucial rebounds.
“We just kept fighting,” Boozer said postgame, his jersey drenched in sweat. “Coach told us to trust each other, stay together, and we did.”
As the final seconds ticked away, Duke’s defense tightened, and Siena’s last-ditch efforts fell short. The Blue Devils escaped with a 71-65 victory, advancing to the second round and preserving their championship dreams. The Saints, led by Doty and Folefac, left the court with heads held high, knowing they’d pushed the nation’s top team to the brink.
The win was anything but routine for Duke, who now turns their attention to the weekend’s second-round matchup. The Blue Devils will be hoping for improved shooting and a return to full strength, as the status of Ngongba II and Foster remains uncertain. For Siena, the loss stings, but their spirited performance will be remembered as one of the tournament’s great near-upsets.
Once again, March Madness lived up to its name—reminding everyone that in this tournament, anything can happen. The Blue Devils survived, but the message is clear: every game is a battle, and no seed is safe.