Duke's Jon Scheyer Says Siena's Gerry McNamara 'Outcoached' Him in Near March Madness Upset
Top-seeded Duke is moving on to the second round of the NCAA tournament, but their first-round win over Siena wasn't pretty.
After the game, Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer said he was "outcoached" by Siena's Gerry McNamara.
"G-Mac, he outcoached me," Scheyer said. "They were more ready to play, and the readiness and the toughness by our guys just to weather that storm in the second half. I'm proud of them."
Duke trailed by as many as 13 points in the second half and didn't tie things up until the five-minute mark. The Blue Devils ultimately managed to pull away in the final minutes and avoid what would have been the third-ever win for a No. 16 seed.
Twin brothers Cameron and Cayden Boozer led the way for the Blue Devils, as Cameron posted 22 points and 13 boards while Cayden put up 19 points—a season high for the freshman and son of NBA icon Carlos Boozer.
"He's been terrific all year and, obviously, with Caleb (Foster) going down, his emergence even more has been terrific," Scheyer said of Cayden. "We knew we had it in him, 100 percent. The composure to me, for this being his first NCAA tournament game, ACC tournament. When it's toughest, he's at his best, and I couldn't be more proud of him."
While they avoided what would have been an embarrassing upset, Scheyer and the Blue Devils can't take their foot off the gas yet. The win over Siena should, in theory, be their easiest game of the tournament. Duke's next opponent, No. 9 TCU, isn't too daunting, but it will likely be tougher than Siena was.
Perhaps the near upset will serve as a wake-up call for the tournament's top overall seed, and the Blue Devils will head into the Round of 32 with a different mindset.
