The No. 1 Duke Blue Devils, the betting favorite to win the men’s NCAA Tournament, barely escaped the Round of 64 with a 71-65 win over the No. 16 Siena Saints on Thursday.

Duke barely avoided a shocking upset to open the NCAA Tournament before beating Siena 71-65. The No. 1 overall seed having to rally from 13 down and go ahead for good in the final 5 minutes to

A near-upset was the story of Thursday's afternoon games at the 2026 NCAA men's basketball tournament. The No. 1 overall seed Duke Blue Devils survived a scare against the Siena Saints, who led by double digits at halftime.

The overall No. 1 seed Duke Blue Devils got a true scare from No. 16 Siena, falling behind by double digits at halftime before coming all the way back to win 71-65 on Thursday. The Blue Devils will take on 9-seed TCU,

Top games today include Louisville looking to fend off upset-minded South Florida in a 1:30 p.m. game, overall No. 1 Duke taking on Siena at 3 p.m., and Final Four sleeper Arkansas starting its run against Hawai'i at 4:25 p.

Which games in the 2025 NCAA men’s tournament will bust your bracket? Our March Madness first-round upset predictions are in.

The No. 1 seeded Duke Blue Devils were sluggish at both ends of the court against Siena Saints in the first round of the Men’s NCAA Tournament.

Down by 11 points at halftime and trailing for most of the game, Duke looked vulnerable but rebounded to win its NCAA Tournament opener.