Saints looking for upset of biblical proportions vs. Blue Devils

Siena looks to become just third No. 16 seed to defeat a 1-seed Thursday when Saints battle Duke in NCAA Tournament. (Photo by Josh Miller/Siena Athletics)

By Jacob Conley (@gwujake)

GREENVILLE, S.C. — It will be a battle of biblical proportions Thursday when Siena faces off with Duke in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Unlike the biblical narrative, however, it is the Saints who will be the big underdogs against the No. 1 overall seed Blue Devils, who are also the top-ranked team in the country. Siena seems undaunted by the David versus Goliath matchup, though.

“They just go through a couple of guys mainly,” center Riley Mulvey said. “It’s just going to be stopping them and making sure whenever they get a shot, for us to get the rebound.”

Those “couple guys” Mulvey mentioned just so happen to be pretty good in their own right. The Duke attack is spearheaded by National Player of the Year contender Cameron Boozer. The freshman is averaging 22.5 points per game to go with 10.2 rebounds per contest, averaging a double-double. Isaiah Evans is the Blue Devils’ threat on the perimeter, as he shoots nearly 37 percent from beyond the arc on the campaign.

Even so, the Saints are confident they can pull off an upset that rivals FDU over Purdue and UMBC over Virginia.

“I think our ability to defend the ball and shut teams down is what gives us confidence to pull the upset,” Brendan Coyle said. “We also have the capability of multiple guys going out and scoring in double figures on any given night. Duke has a really good team and we do, too. We have a lot of confidence going into the tournament. Why not us?”

Pundits do not give Siena much of a chance to pull off an earth-shattering upset. According to the latest odds, Duke is currently 27.5-point favorites. Gavin Doty would rather put faith in his teammates instead of what pundits have to say.

“BC could be the next white boy who goes in and knocks down a bunch of shots,” the sophomore guard said of his teammate, Coyle. “Francis (Folefac) is a beast, Mulvey is a dog and Zip (Justice Shoats) is one of the best point guards in the country. I believe in everybody down the line here.”

That belief is echoed by Siena’s coach, Gerry McNamara.

“We have a tall task ahead of us, but I’m really looking forward to playing our best basketball on the biggest stage and giving them everything we’ve got,” he said. “This group has been really good defensively all year. We were terrific in our conference tournament. If we want a chance to win, we are going to have to defend at a high level and take care of the basketball. We are looking forward to the challenge.”

For their part, the Blue Devils aren’t taking the Saints lightly. In particular, Cameron Boozer knows exactly how dangerous Doty (17.9 points per game) is, as they played against one another on the youth circuits.

“He’s a great player,” Boozer said. “We scouted him for sure. He always takes a lot of their shots, and plays with an extended dribble. We are particularly focused on that matchup because it’s March.”

March certainly has had its share of miracles on the hardwood, but should the Saints pull one off, it would be among the biggest. FDU was a 23.5-point underdog when the Knights beat Purdue in 2023. But then again, the Saints of old were made famous by the miracles they performed until they became the stuff of legends.

The Siena Saints also have a chance to achieve legendary status with a victory against Duke, and if they do, their exploits will be remembered for years to come.