No. 1 Duke survives NCAA Tournament first-round scare against No. 16 Siena

The No. 1 Duke Blue Devils, the betting favorite to win the men’s NCAA Tournament, barely escaped the Round of 64 with a 71-65 win over the No. 16 Siena Saints on Thursday.

The No. 1 Duke Blue Devils, the betting favorite to win the men’s NCAA Tournament, barely escaped the round of 64 with a 71-65 win over the No. 16 Siena Saints on Thursday.

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The Blue Devils trailed from the 15:31 mark of the first half until the 4:25 mark of the second, when an Isaiah Evans layup finally gave Duke the lead again. The Blue Devils finished the game on a 15-4 run to extinguish any hopes of a shocking upset.

No. 16 seeds have upset No. 1 seeds only twice before in the men’s tourney, in 2018 and 2023.

Gavin Doty was remarkable in a losing effort for the Saints, scoring 21 points. He was aided by big man Francis Folefac, who added 18. But they both cooled off in the second half, as did the rest of the team. After shooting 17-for-31 from the field in the first half, Siena made only eight of its 34 field goal attempts in the second.