Siena flirted with pulling off an all-time shocking upset in March Madness when it faced No. 1 overall tournament seed Duke. The Blue Devils rallied from 13 down to beat the 16th-seeded Saints 71-65. That allowed Duke to avoid suffering only the third-ever loss by a No. 1 seed against a No. 16 seed.
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makes food sound like a miracle drug. Researchers say he often overstates the scienceJurors wade through daunting evidence in high-stakes Meta trial about social media risks to childrenHere’s what dermatologists are saying about your skin care routine: Keep it simplePope Leo endorses Francis' divisive 2016 text on Communion after civil remarriageIsrael ataca Teherán en el Año Nuevo persa mientras la guerra sacude los mercados energéticos makes food sound like a miracle drug. Researchers say he often overstates the scienceJurors wade through daunting evidence in high-stakes Meta trial about social media risks to childrenHere’s what dermatologists are saying about your skin care routine: Keep it simplePope Leo endorses Francis' divisive 2016 text on Communion after civil remarriageIsrael ataca Teherán en el Año Nuevo persa mientras la guerra sacude los mercados energéticosSiena celebrates after scoring against Duke during the second half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Greenville, S.C. Duke guard Cayden Boozer drives to the basket past Siena center Riley Mulvey during the second half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Greenville, S.C. Siena guard Gavin Doty celebrates after scoring during the first half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Duke, Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Greenville, S.C. Siena head coach Gerry McNamara gestures during the second half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Duke, Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Greenville, S.C. Siena forward Brendan Coyle reacts after scoring during the second half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Duke, Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Greenville, S.C. Siena celebrates after scoring against Duke during the second half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Greenville, S.C. Siena celebrates after scoring against Duke during the second half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Greenville, S.C. Duke guard Cayden Boozer drives to the basket past Siena center Riley Mulvey during the second half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Greenville, S.C. Duke guard Cayden Boozer drives to the basket past Siena center Riley Mulvey during the second half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Greenville, S.C. Siena guard Gavin Doty celebrates after scoring during the first half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Duke, Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Greenville, S.C. Siena guard Gavin Doty celebrates after scoring during the first half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Duke, Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Greenville, S.C. Siena head coach Gerry McNamara gestures during the second half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Duke, Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Greenville, S.C. Siena head coach Gerry McNamara gestures during the second half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Duke, Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Greenville, S.C. Siena forward Brendan Coyle reacts after scoring during the second half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Duke, Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Greenville, S.C. Siena forward Brendan Coyle reacts after scoring during the second half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Duke, Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Greenville, S.C. Teammate Gavin Doty followed minutes later with his own 3, running downcourt with his hand raised to his ear as though making a call.game since 2010 with fearless confidence that kept growing with every made shot and each point tacked onto an expanding lead. Only this was in the most improbable of settings: as a 16-seed in theUltimately, the Saints couldn’t complete an all-timer of a tournament shocker, fading late as the Blue Devils rallied from their biggest deficit all season — 13 points — before finallyin Thursday’s first round of the East Region. But they made the afternoon theirs in South Carolina, thrilling a curious-turned-buzzing crowd while forcing the Blue Devils to confront the possibility that the unthinkable could really happen.“I’ve been doing this a long time. I don’t think I’ve ever been more proud of any group of kids I’ve been around,” Siena coach Gerry McNamara said. “I think the world and college basketball saw what I’ve been so grateful and thankful to be around all season: a group of kids that love each other, that compete at the highest level and play for each other.”The NCAA Tournament is known for upsets, the kind of little-guy-takes-down-the-giant moments that capture the nation’s imagination every spring. And yet, what nearly transpired Thursday is the kind of moment that rarely happens. The No. 1 seeds entered the week with a 158-2 record against 16 seeds in the tournament, the outliers being And Duke — a blueblood with five NCAA titles — spent much of Thursday in serious danger of being added to that list.first-team Associated Press All-American Cameron BoozerInstead, the Saints applied steady game pressure on the favored Blue Devils, who looked uncomfortable, tight and even flummoxed by the resistance. “We thought it was going to be a cakewalk going into this game,” senior forward Maliq Brown said on the halftime interview during the CBS game broadcast. Instead, the Saints shot 54.8% in the first half against a defense ranked among the national elite. They also improbably managed to close the first half with an edge on the glass and points in the paint against a team that“When we came out of the gate hot, we were playing to our potential and we knew we could do it,” Siena big man Riley Mulvey said. “We just didn’t play scared.”McNamara, the second-year coach, is perhaps best known for his time as a starter on the Carmelo Anthony-led Syracuse team that won the 2003 national title. The energy is still there now, with him seemingly living and dying with every possession as he watched from near the scorer’s table. That continued during every stoppage on the bench, as though trying to will his team to stay on its shocking course. During one timeout, he excitedly tapped Coyle on the right knee and told him, “You’ve got to take it!” During another, he pressed the 7-foot Mulvey to stay locked on details, saying: “We need you! We need every second of you!” Along the way, the crowd grew more energized with every passing minute in the first half. That included fans wearing Ohio State red —There was nothing short of total belief that the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champions could do it, felt so tangibly that Duke coach Jon Scheyer said McNamara “outcoached us” and called it “one of the hardest moments for me in sport, period, to not have your best stuff.” “We saw a young man at Siena, who almost beat Duke playing five players,” St. John’s Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino said from his Red Storm’s site across the country in San Diego. “Never heard of that before. Playing five players.”Eventually though, Duke wore down the Saints with size and a withering second-half performance on the glass . Doty’s third 3 gave Siena a 61-56 lead with 7:53 left, but Duke ran off 11 unanswered points. During that stretch, Siena went scoreless for nearly seven minutes, missed eight straight shots and finished 8 for 34 after halftime.“We all had that understanding that we only have 20 minutes guaranteed,” Duke freshman point guard Cayden Boozer said of the second-half rally. When it was over, Siena’s players solemnly filed to the tunnel, Mulvey fighting back tears and Coyle pulling up his jersey to briefly cover his eyes. Multiple players shrugged off postgame questions about the significance of the near-upset, saying they weren’t into moral victories.“I’m just really going to take this all in tonight and just think about it,” guard Justice Shoats said. “But I’m glad we were able to come out here and compete. “I mean, when’s the last time you heard Siena in the March Madness game, especially competing against the No. 1 team in the country and actually keeping up with them?”Beard covers sports in North Carolina for The Associated Press with an emphasis on college basketball. His coverage includes ACC sports and the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes.
NCAA Mens Division I Basketball Championship College Basketball Basketball Mens College Basketball NC State Wire SC State Wire North Carolina March Madness NCAA Tournament South Carolina New York NCAA Mens Bracket Gerry Mcnamara Cayden Boozer Carmelo Anthony Gavin Doty Sports UC San Diego Tritons Jon Scheyer St. Johns Red Storm Rick Pitino Brendan Coyle
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