NCAA BASKETBALL: Top seed Duke holds off upset-minded Siena

Cameron Boozer had 22 points and 13 rebounds to lead No. 1 overall seed Duke to a 71-65 comeback victory over No. 16 Siena in the first round of the East Region on Thursday in Greenville, S.C. Boozer went 13-for-14 from the free-throw line as Duke (33-2) erased a 13-point deficit. Twin brother Cayden Boozer added a season-high 19 points, while Isaiah Evans contributed 16 points and 10 rebounds. The Blue Devils advance to face No. 9 TCU on Saturday.

Siena (23-12) became the first NCAA Tournament team since DePaul in 1979 to play its starters the entire game. The Saints came close to a historic upset, led by Gavin Doty with 21 points, Francis Folefac with 18, and Brendan Coyle with 12. Despite an 11-point halftime lead, Siena was outscored 39-22 in the second half.

In Greenville, No. 11 VCU rallied to defeat No. 6 North Carolina 82-78 in overtime. Terrence Hill Jr. scored a game-high 34 points and hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 15 seconds left. Nyk Lewis added 16 points, while Lazar Djokovic chipped in 15. VCU (28-7) trailed by 19 in the second half but completed the sixth-biggest comeback in NCAA Tournament history. Henri Veesaar led North Carolina (24-9) with 26 points and 10 rebounds.

No. 3 Michigan State cruised past No. 14 North Dakota State 92-67 in Buffalo, N.Y. Carson Cooper matched his career high with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Coen Carr added 17 points. Michigan State (26-7) recorded 26 assists on 33 field goals, opening its 28th consecutive NCAA Tournament with a win.

No. 6 Louisville edged No. 11 South Florida 83-79, led by Isaac McKneely's seven 3-pointers and 23 points. Ryan Conwell added 18 points, and Sananda Fru recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. South Florida (25-9) was paced by Joseph Pinion’s career-high 27 points.

No. 9 TCU beat No. 8 Ohio State 66-64 in Greenville, S.C. Xavier Edmonds scored the go-ahead layup with 4.3 seconds left. Micah Robinson led TCU (23-11) with 18 points, and David Punch added 16 points and 13 rebounds.

In the West Region, No. 12 High Point stunned No. 5 Wisconsin 83-82 in Portland, Ore., with Chase Johnston scoring the decisive basket with 11.7 seconds left. No. 11 Texas defeated No. 6 BYU 79-71, led by Matas Vokietaitis’ 23 points and 16 rebounds. No. 4 Arkansas crushed No. 13 Hawaii 97-78, highlighted by Darius Acuff Jr.’s 24 points and seven assists. No. 3 Gonzaga overcame No. 14 Kennesaw State 73-64 behind Graham Ike’s 19 points and Davis Fogle’s 17 off the bench.

In the South Region, No. 10 Texas A&M upset No. 7 Saint Mary’s 63-50 in Oklahoma City, led by Rashaun Agee’s 22 points and nine rebounds. No. 4 Nebraska dominated No. 13 Troy 76-47, with Pryce Sandfort scoring 23 points. No. 2 Houston rolled past No. 15 Idaho 78-47, while No. 5 Vanderbilt beat No. 12 McNeese 78-68 behind Tyler Tanner’s 26 points. No. 3 Illinois routed No. 14 Penn 105-70, led by David Mirkovic’s 29 points and 17 rebounds.

In the Midwest Region, No. 1 Michigan handled No. 16 Howard 101-80. Morez Johnson Jr. contributed 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Aday Mara scored 19. No. 9 Saint Louis dominated Georgia 102-77, led by Dion Brown’s 18 points and Jeremiah Wilkinson’s 30 points for the Bulldogs (22-11).

The tournament moves to its second round this weekend, with several higher seeds still in contention and a few historic upsets already shaking the bracket.

—Field Level Media/Reuters