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Duke's Jon Scheyer says Siena posed 'toughest moment' of March Madness career
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- Duke's Jon Scheyer says Siena posed 'toughest moment' of March Madness career
Duke basketball avoided a scare against No. 16 seed Siena in the first round of the Men's NCAA Tournament on Thursday, March 19 as the No. 1 overall seed, overcoming a 13-point deficit in the second half to win 71-65.
Siena became the first No. 16 seed to lead a No. 1 seed at halftime in Men's NCAA Tournament history, leading 43-32 at the break. The Blue Devils outscored the Saints 39-22 in the second half to secure the victory, although fourth-year coach Jon Scheyer said it was the toughest NCAA Tournament moment he has experienced since taking over for Mike Krzyzewski in 2022.
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"Toughest one," the longtime Duke assistant-turned head coach told reporters after the win. "Not close. Toughest moment, toughest game, toughest position I've ever been in in the tournament, no question about it. You have to credit Siena for that. Look, I remember a lot of our teams, we've had some games like this. 2018-19, North Dakota State, it's a one-possession game there.
"These games are fragile. Unfortunately, you have to lose some, I've been on the other end of some of these in the past where you have great appreciation for it, but it doesn't mean you can avoid it. ... You gotta show what you're made of, and these guys really did that."
Twins Cameron and Cayden Boozer led the way for Duke, scoring 22 and 19 points, respectively, to lead all scorers. The Blue Devils played a seven-man rotation without starting center Patrick Ngongba II and starting guard Caleb Foster , who are both hoping to return sometime during the NCAA Tournament, depending on how far Duke advances.
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Duke had no issues with No. 16 seed Mount St. Mary's last season, winning 93-49 in the first round. Scheyer also cited Duke's 85-62 win over No. 16 seed North Dakota State in 2019, when he was an assistant and the Blue Devils only led by four points at halftime.
Only two No. 16 seeds have ever won an NCAA Tournament game: Fairleigh Dickinson defeated Purdue in 2023 and UMBC took down Virginia in 2018. 16 No. 1 seeds have only beaten No. 16s by single digits in NCAA Tournament history, none of which have gone on to win a national championship.
Scheyer said he isn't concerned with Duke's performance but acknowledged the Blue Devils must rebound before taking on No. 9 TCU in the second round on March 21.
"It's not concerning from the standpoint that, unfortunately this is the nature of the tournament," he said. "Look, I wish it could be just smooth sailing. These guys, even though we have returners from last year's team, were all in different spots. You can face a team like Siena; they were incredibly ready to play.
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"We made some mistakes early that they made us pay for, and all of a sudden you want to win very badly. So, you want to start making plays to try and get back in the game that are probably uncharacteristic to who we've been."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jon Scheyer says Siena posed 'toughest moment' of NCAA Tournament career
