Duke made the No. 1 seed in East Region, to face Siena in NCAA opener

Chip Alexander, The News & Observer on Mar 15, 2026

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RALEIGH, N.C. — Duke’s Blue Devils are growing accustomed to being No. 1.

The Devils are ranked No. 1 in the AP basketball poll and the NCAA NET rankings. They won the ACC regular-season title and then added the tournament championship in Charlotte, N.C., with a 74-70 victory over Virginia.

When the selections and seedings were announced Sunday for the 2026 NCAA Tournament, the Blue Devils were the No. 1 overall seed in the men’s field, making it something of a clean sweep in March, when it counts the most.

Duke (32-2) will open NCAA play Thursday in the East Region at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C., facing Siena (23-11), the No. 16 seed.

The Saints, coached by former Syracuse standout Gerry McNamara, go into the NCAAs having won the MAAC championship as sophomore guard Gavin Doty was named the tournament MVP.

If Duke advances, it would face the winner of the game between No. 8 seed Ohio State (21-12) and No. 9 seed TCU (22-11) on Saturday in Greenville.

The NCAA were to announce starting times for the tournament games later Sunday.

The Blue Devils played shorthanded in the ACC Tournament as starters Caleb Foster and Patrick Ngongba II both were sidelined with foot injuries. The two were seen wheeling about the Spectrum Center on scooters and providing energy from the bench as Duke topped Florida State, Clemson and then Virginia for Duke’s second consecutive ACC championship.

Ngongba, who has been slowed by foot soreness, is expected to be fit enough and ready for the NCAA’s. The big man has been missed, his absence in the ACC Tournament allowing teams to load up on Duke’s Cameron Boozer defensively.

Foster’s return remains uncertain. He suffered a foot fracture in Duke’s win over North Carolina in the final game of the regular season in Durham and had surgery the next day.

Foster, a heart-and-soul type player for the Devils, vowed he would return during the NCAAs. Duke coach Jon Scheyer won’t rule it out, more than aware of Foster’s determination and toughness, but said the Blue Devils might have to reach the Final Four to allow enough rehab time.

Freshman guard Cayden Boozer stepped up his game during the ACC Tournament after stepping into the startling lineup to replace Foster. He had 16 points in Saturday’s game and had a critical putback of a missed Isaiah Evans shot to give Duke a 68-66 lead.

“I think we’re really confident,” Boozer said after Saturday’s game. “We know what the stakes are now. “ Boozer there’s no shortage of naysayers who won’t be picking the Blue Devils to win their first NCAA title since 2015.

“They’ve tried to find a reason to doubt us the entire year and I think we’ve proven them wrong every time,” Boozer said. “If they don’t believe in us now they can stay on that side.”

The Blue Devils, led by Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel, reached the Final Four a year ago before a close loss to Houston in the national semifinals. Duke has a different cast this season but the same goal: winning a sixth national title.

The road begins Thursday in Greenville.

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