GREENVILLE, S.C. — Duke barely avoided a shocking upset to open the NCAA tournament, with the No. 1 overall seed having to rally from 13 points down and going ahead for good in the final five minutes to beat 16th-seeded Siena 71-65 on Thursday.

Cameron Boozer had 22 points and 13 rebounds for the East Region's headliner, which hit its first four shots yet needed a comeback against a fearless upstart playing just five players right up to the final seconds. No. 1 seeds entered the week with a 158-2 record against 16-seeds in the tournament, the outliers being Virginia's loss to UMBC in 2018 and Purdue's loss to Fairleigh Dickinson in 2023.

Gavin Doty scored 21 points to lead the Saints (23-12), with his third 3 giving them a 61-56 lead with 7:53 left. But Duke ran off 11 unanswered points to finally push ahead for good, securing a date against TCU in the second round. The Blue Devils (33-2) played their fifth straight game without starting big man Patrick Ngongba II due to soreness in his right foot. Duke, which closed as a 28.5-point favorite, became the first No. 1 seed to trail by double digits at the break against a 16-seed.