Duke Survives Siena Upset Bid, Depth Concerns Loom

0:00On March 20, Duke's grade by Sienna in the first round of the 2026 NCAA tournament, winning 71 to 65 is the number 1. Overall seed, the number 16 seed sands nearly pulled off a massive upset even leading at half time thanks to coach Jerry McNamara's strategy of sticking with. The same five players almost a whole game. Duke coach John Shire leaned on just seven guys, which put their thin bench to the test right away, especially with center Patrick and Gongba still. Side line from a foot issue. Sienna only subbed once late, forcing Duke to grind out a comeback without much relief. Scouts and coaches a flag Duke's lack of depth as a real vulnerability, worsened by injuries to Caleb Foster and In Gongba. Foster broke his foot earlier this month and might now return until the final four, if at all, while In Gongba was spotted on a knee-rover and deemed. Unlikely for the opener. One ACC coach noted ways to target Duke by isolating forward Cooper Flag's brother Isaiah Booser against smaller guards, wearing him down over.

1:04Possessions. Still, the Booser twins dominated with 41 points and 15 rebounds combined. And Isaiah Evans added 16 points and 10 boards to seal. The win. As Duke advances, tougher matchups loom and their injury hit rotation could spell trouble deeper into March madness.