Duke Projected Starting Lineup for NCAA Tournament Round of 32

The 1-seed Duke Blue Devils survived a heck of a scare against 16-seed Siena, narrowly taking down the Saints 71-65 to advance to the Round of 32. The Blue Devils entered the halftime locker room in a 43-32 deficit and trailed for the majority of the contest.

Nonetheless, Duke moved on and avoided a colossal upset and will now face 9-seed TCU in the Round of 32 on Saturday. The Horned Frogs defeated 8-seed Ohio State 66-64 to advance.

Mar 18, 2026; Greenville, SC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer during a press conference ahead of the first round of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Duke is still dealing with injury concerns, as starters Patrick Ngongba and Caleb Foster still remain uncertain in terms of their availability statuses. The Blue Devils are 4-0 without the two veterans, but there's no doubt Jon Scheyer would like them both back sooner rather than later.

Let's take a look at Duke's projected starting lineup as it looks to advance to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

Duke Blue Devils guard Cayden Boozer (2) reacts after scoring Thursday, March 19, 2026, during the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament first round game against the Siena Saints at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. Duke Blue Devils won 71-65. | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

PG - Cayden Boozer - Freshman

Regardless of how close the Blue Devils were to a ridiculous upset against Siena, Cayden Boozer was absolutely fantastic and has been extremely impressive since taking over the backcourt in Foster's absence.

Against the Saints, Boozer tallied a career-high 19 points to go along with five assists, two steals, and zero turnovers. In the four games without Foster, Boozer is averaging 15.0 points and 2.8 assists on 48% shooting from the field.

Mar 19, 2026; Greenville, SC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Cayden Boozer (2) reacts against the Siena Saints in the second half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

There were obvious questions when Foster went down as to how far Duke's ceiling dropped, but Boozer is proving he can handle the load. In the last two games combined, the rookie has sat for one minute.

Mar 19, 2026; Greenville, SC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Isaiah Evans (3) shoots the ball against the Siena Saints in the first half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

SG - Isaiah Evans - Sophomore

Evans provided a major boost when Duke needed it against the Saints in the second half, not only as a shooter, but as a three-level scorer. The sophomore went for 16 points and 10 rebounds on 6-of-14 (42.9%) shooting from the field.

The North Carolina native is Duke's clear X-factor, and consistent production from him will be crucial for a deep tournament run.

Mar 19, 2026; Greenville, SC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Dame Sarr (7) dribbles the ball against the Siena Saints in the first half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

SF - Dame Sarr - Freshman

Sarr remains in the starting lineup due to his elite defensive capabilities, which the Blue Devils will need against a battle-tested TCU squad out of the Big 12.

The Italian rookie totaled five points, two rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and a steal against Siena. His main strength is his defense, but he impacts the game in a ton of different ways.

Mar 19, 2026; Greenville, SC, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) grabs a rebound against the Siena Saints in the second half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

PF - Cameron Boozer - Freshman

For the National Player of the Year's standards, Cameron Boozer has struggled over Duke's last two games. Against Siena, Boozer went for 22 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, and five turnovers. Duke as a whole looked completely unprepared in the Round of 64, and Boozer made possibly more mistakes in this game than he has made all year.

The 6'9" forward shot 4-of-11 (36.4%) from the field and 1-of-5 (20%) from three, but 13-of-14 (92.9%) from the charity stripe. Against an extremely physical Horned Frogs club, the free-throw line will be a major factor, in all likelihood.

Mar 2, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; NC State Wolfpack guard Alyn Breed (7) drive to the basket against Duke Blue Devils center Patrick Ngongba II (21) during the first half at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

C - Patrick Ngongba - Sophomore

All signs point to Ngongba being back in the lineup, which Duke absolutely needs. The sophomore is one of the most underrated impact players in the nation, and he brings this Blue Devils club to a whole new level defensively.

Duke put together one of its worst defensive showings all season against Siena, and the numbers indicate Ngongba is a major impact player. According to EvanMiya.com, Ngongba ranks sixth nationally in Defensive Bayesian Performance Rating (4.93) and eighth nationally in Total Bayesian Performance Rating (10.02).