Duke Survives Siena Scare, Advances in March Madness

0:00On March 20, Duke pulled off a 10-71-65 win over 16 seed Sienna and their March madness opener. The Blue Devils, fresh off an ACC tournament title, faced a gritty Sienna squad that just won the MAAC crown. Caden Boosers shown with 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists outplaying his brother Cameron in the process. Sienna jumped out hot, building an 11-point halftime lead by shooting 45% from 3, while Duke managed just 2-15 from... deep. The Saints kept the pressure on early in the second half, but Duke switched to a zone defense that slowed things down and sparked a comeback. Fans were on edge due out, freaking out over Duke's sloppy start in defensive lapses, especially with Malik Brown picking up quick fouls. Social media lit up with panic about a potential historic upset as Sienna hung tough without even subbing players. Duke finally took control late, holding Sienna scoreless for over 6 minutes and sealing it with strong defense and clutch plays from Isaiah Evans and Cameron Booser.

1:03The Blue Devils avoided becoming the third number 1 seed to fall to a 16. Now Duke advances to face TCU on Saturday, looking to build momentum after proving they can grind out tough ones.