Duke basketball got hearts racing out in Durham, and for the fans predicting a Blue Devils championship. No. 16 seed Siena had Duke down by 13 before the Blue Devils won 71-65 Thursday. And the No. 1 seed even hit a season-first in the comeback.
It's officially Duke's largest comeback win of the season. But pulled it off against the lowest seed in the East Regional.
DUKE HANGS ON 😅
The Blue Devils pull off their largest comeback win of the season against Siena 👏pic.twitter.com/JuTYHemUuY
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 19, 2026
Duke managed to force bad shot selections against Siena by switching to a zone defense. The Saints swiftly attacked the higher seed when the Devils went with their man-to-man scheme.
Siena would've became only the third 16th seed to knock off the No. 1 had it won. Yet Thursday looks like an indicator of what's to come for the nation's top-ranked team.
Duke is in for rugged March Madness moving forward
Head coach Jon Scheyer knows there's lots to clean up after the six-point win. Starting fast and finishing baskets are likely two topics of discussion in the locker room. Duke also must avoid thinking it'll walk over teams, which Maliq Brown admitted at halftime when they were down.
But this looks like a prelude of things to come in this regional.
Duke landed in the toughest bracket out of the four regionals. The Devils have Michigan State and UConn down in the lower half of the bracket. The Huskies looked like a No. 1 seed for awhile before St. John's trounced them for the Big East title.
The Red Storm is also in the East, with the possibility of a Duke-St. John's Sweet 16 matchup. Scheyer would coach against two-time national champion coach Rick Pitino if this matchup happens.
The Atlantic Coast Conference champs must surpass another upset-minded foe next, though. TCU previously beat the South's No. 1 seed Florida in the regular season and will envision an upset. Especially after watching Siena expose Duke.
