Duke survives stunning halftime deficit to hold off No. 16 seed Siena in March Madness' first round

Miles Simon joins Jason McIntyre to discuss Duke and Arizona’s odds to win the ’26 March Madness title and whether AJ Dybantsa can lead the BYU Cougars to success.

The Duke Blue Devils avoided being on the wrong side of March Madness history.

The No. 1 seed rallied late to avoid an upset by the No. 16 Siena Saints with a 71-65 victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. 

Only twice in tournament history has a 16th-seeded team taken down a top seed in the first round — UMBC over Virginia in 2018 and Fairleigh Dickinson over Purdue in 2023. 

Siena was in the driver’s seat to join that rare group, shocking Duke with a 43-32 lead at halftime. But it was unable to keep that lead, and the Blue Devils took over in the second half to avoid a mind-boggling finish in the first round. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Dame Sarr of the Duke Blue Devils reacts during the second half against the Siena Saints in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena March 19, 2026, in Greenville, S.C. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Duke outscored Siena, 39-22, in the second half as the Saints surprisingly used just its five starters through the game's entire 40 minutes. That strategy may have come back to hurt them in the end because players looked gassed midway through the second half. 

The effort from the Saints, though, never faltered as they continued to stave off Duke’s comeback attempt. However, with 4:25 left to play in the second half, Isaiah Evans’ layup gave Duke its first lead since early in the first half, 63-61. 

HIGH POINT STUNS WISCONSIN IN THE FIRST UPSET OF MARCH MADNESS WITH THRILLING FINISH

From there, the Blue Devils did what it took on the defensive end to maintain