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Blue Devil Country

Social Media Reacts to Dukes First Round Game vs Siena

The Blue Devils nearly became the third number one seed to lose to a 16 seed.
Luke Joseph|
Mar 18, 2026; Greenville, SC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer during a practice session ahead of the first round of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
Mar 18, 2026; Greenville, SC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer during a practice session 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 coming off another ACC Tournament Championship after beating Virginia 74-70. While Isaiah Evans led the Blue Devils in scoring, the story was Cayden Boozer being a better player than his brother, Cameron Boozer. Cayden ended the night with 16 points on 6-12 from the field, while also grabbing five rebounds and dishing out four assists.

Now, the Blue Devils play against the 16-seed Siena, which won the MAAC Tournament Championship. Let's see how Duke fans react to the Blue Devils' first game in March Madness.

First Half

Duke would score a quick four points after winning the opening tip. Then Cameron Boozer and Isaiah Evans would knock down back to back three's. On its first four shot attempts, Duke would make all four.

Siena is not a team to overlook, as by the first TV timeout, Siena would take a 12-10 lead after a long rebound gave the Saints a fast break opportunity.

After going back and forth making shots, Senior Brendan Coyle would knock down back-to-back threes. Jon Scheyer would be forced to call a timeout to prevent the Saints from going on a bigger run.

After the timeout from Jon Scheyer, Cameron Boozer would turn the ball over after trying to pass out of a double team.

Siena continued to make shots, and Duke couldn't find an answer defensively. It would only get worse with Maliq Brown picking up his second foul with seven minutes remaining in the first half.

At the end of the first half, Siena would have an 11-point lead. Siena came into this game averaging 30% from the three-point range and is currently shooting 45% from three. Duke, meanwhile, has shot a poor 2-15 from three.

Second Half

Duke would not have the start to the second half good, with Maliq Brown picking up his third foul.

Duke would then switch to a zone defense, which slows down the Saints' offense. Now the Blue Devils trail by six.

Duke would then force the Saints into a bad shot because of the zone defense, leading to a Cayden Boozer fast break to bring the deficit down to four. Siena would then call a timeout to try to stop the Duke run.

Isaiah Evans would cut the lead to just one, but Siena would get the lead back to six with nine minutes left in the game.

Under six minutes remain, and Duke trails by one and looks to avoid being the third one-seed in March Madness to be upset by a 16 seed.

Cameron Boozer would get fouled under the basket and connect on one, tying the game up at 61. Then Isaiah Evans gave Duke its first lead since the score was 10-8.

Duke's defense has played outstanding, holding Siena scoreless for over six minutes. Duke now leads 67-61 with a minute and a half remaining.

After being challenged throughout the whole game, Duke found a way to avoid the upset with a 71-65 victory. Now the Blue Devils will play TCU on Saturday.

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Luke Joseph
LUKE JOSEPH

Luke Joseph is a graduate of Michigan State University with a degree in journalism. Drawing on his extensive knowledge of sports and commitment to storytelling, he serves as a general sports reporter On SI, covering the NFL and college athletics with insight and expertise.