No. 1 overall seed Duke survived what would have been one of the most stunning upsets in NCAA Tournament history Thursday, rallying from a 13-point first-half deficit to beat No. 16 seed Siena 71-65 in Greenville, South Carolina. The win was harder than any top seed should need against a 16-seed, and sophomore guard Isaiah Evans was the player most responsible for keeping it from going the other way.
Duke started the game sharply, opening 4-for-4 from the floor, but the offense went cold almost immediately after. The Blue Devils managed only two three-pointers in the first half, shot 32% from the field and trailed 43-32 at the break. Siena shot 55% and controlled the game with a confidence that made the deficit feel entirely legitimate.
Siena extended the lead before Duke finally responded
The situation got worse before it got better. Siena pushed the advantage back to 13 points to open the second half, the largest deficit Duke had faced all season. The Blue Devils chipped away gradually, cutting the lead to four with just under 15 minutes remaining, before Siena responded with back-to-back three-pointers to push it back to six.
With under six minutes left, Duke had trimmed the deficit to one, trailing 61-60. Evans, who had scored only three points in the first half, drove for a layup that gave the Blue Devils their first lead since the opening minutes of the game, putting Duke ahead 63-61. It was the pivotal moment of an 11-3 run that effectively closed out the contest. Evans finished with 16 points and was the catalyst for everything that happened in the final five minutes.
The Boozer twins carried the scoring load
Cameron Boozer led Duke with 22 points and 13 rebounds, recording another double-double in a season full of them. His twin brother Cayden Boozer added 19 points and three assists. The two combined for 41 points, which under normal tournament circumstances would have been more than enough to win comfortably. That it nearly was not is a reflection of how well Siena played for the first 30 minutes of the game.
Duke advances to the second round and will face No. 9 seed Texas Christian University on Saturday, March 21.
Evans has been building toward moments like this all season
Evans entered the tournament coming off a 20-point performance in the ACC Championship win over Virginia, where Duke defeated the Cavaliers 74-70 to claim back-to-back conference titles. The 6-foot-6 sophomore from North Mecklenburg High School in Huntersville, North Carolina, is averaging 14.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game this season, all career highs. He has also raised concerns publicly in recent weeks about the impact of player prop betting on college athletes, describing an increase in hostile messages and threats tied to individual performance wagers.
The NCAA has responded to those concerns with its Draw the Line campaign, which addresses harassment tied to sports betting and provides resources for athletes to report abuse. Several states including New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Ohio have already banned college player prop bets. Others, including Kentucky and Minnesota, are considering similar legislation. The broader debate around whether those wagers should be permitted nationally is ongoing, with Evans’s comments adding a prominent voice to the discussion.
Against Siena Today, Evans gave the sport something less complicated to talk about. He made the shot that mattered most when Duke needed it most, and the No. 1 seed lives to play another day.
