Duke makes NCAA Tournament history with first half performance vs. Siena
In one of the most shocking first halves in NCAA Tournament history, No. 1 overall seed Duke trailed No. 16 seed Siena 43-32.
It is the first time in NCAA Tournament history that a No. 1 seed has trailed a No. 16 seed by double-digits at halftime, and the 13th time that a No. 16 seed has led a No. 1 seed at halftime.
It was a first half of ‘anything that can go wrong, will go wrong’ for the Blue Devils. They shot a dreadful 2-15 from three-point range and were actually out rebounded by Siena 18-13. Missing guard Caleb Foster and center Patrick Ngbonga is certainly a massive deal, as Duke looks to surge back in the second half.
“When they say you can’t, God says you can,” Siena guard Gavin Doty said prior to the halftime break. “We’ve got a bunch of guys in that locker room that believe. I’ve been all around the world and not many people believed in us. We’ve got faith, and we’ve got heart. We’ll need a big second half to win this game, but we’re looking forward to it.”
Although 13 different No. 16 seeds have led a No. 1 seed at halftime in the NCAA Tournament, just two No. 16 seeds have ever upset a No. 1 seed. The first came back in 2018, when UMBC knocked off Virginia 74-54. The last monstrous upset came in 2023, when Fairleigh Dickinson downed the Zach Edey-led Purdue Boilermakers 63-58. A No. 16 seed has never advanced to the Round of 32, however.
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The two teams that have been upset by No. 16 seeds, Virginia and Purdue, made a run to the National Championship Game the following season.
Duke enjoyed a stellar regular season under head coach Jon Scheyer, in which it was crowned ACC Regular Season and ACC Tournament Champions. It compiled a 32-2 (17-1) record, with its two lone losses coming to No. 19 Texas Tech (82-81) and No. 14 North Carolina (71-68). Star freshman forward Cameron Boozer was named ACC Player of the Year, and is the frontrunner for Naismith Player of the Year.
If the Blue Devils are unable to come back from the deficit, however, none of that will have mattered.