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GREENVILLE, SC \u2013 May we have this dance? Siena Basketball dusts off its dancing shoes for the first time in 16 years when the 16th seeded Saints battle No. 1 overall seed Duke in an NCAA Tournament East Region First Round matchup Thursday at 2:50 p.m. at Bon Secours Arena.
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\nThe Saints first NCAA Tournament game since 2010 will be televised nationally on CBS with the lead announcing team of Ian Eagle, Bill Raftery, Grant Hill, and Tracy Wolfson on the call. Joe Puccio and\u00a0former Saint Conner Fenlon ’12 will have the radio call of the game locally in the Capital Region on JAMZ 96.3 FM, with pregame coverage beginning at 2:20 p.m. The Siena radio broadcast can also be streamed through the free Varsity Network app. The national radio broadcast will air on the\u00a0NCAA Radio Network\/Westwood One Sports with Noah Eagle and LaPhonso Ellis on the call.
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\nSiena (23-11) makes its seventh NCAA Tournament appearance (eighth bid) looking to rekindle the program’s past March magic. The Saints are a solid 4-6 all-time in NCAA Tournament contests, including wins in three of their past four appearances.
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\nSiena will need all of that Cinderella magic and then some if they hope to pull off what would be the biggest upset in the program’s 85-season history. No. 16 seeds are just 2-158 all-time against No. 1 seeds, although both of those wins have come over the past eight years. The Saints are also facing the No. 1 nationally ranked team for just the third time ever, and are 6-46 all-time vs. Associated Press Top-25 programs.
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\nCollege basketball blue blood Duke (32-2) has lost just twice all season \u2013 by one point to Texas Tech in December and on a buzzer-beater against North Carolina last month. The Atlantic Coast Conference Regular Season and Tournament Champions outscored league opposition by 18.5 points in conference play. The five-time National Champion Blue Devils .750 NCAA Tournament win percentage is the best amongst all programs.
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\nSiena and Duke meet for just the second time, with the then fifth-ranked Blue Devils capturing the only other meeting 92-74 on Nov. 13, 2015 in Durham, North Carolina. The Saints are a respectable 10-26 all-time vs. the 18 current ACC members.
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\nThe Siena-Duke winner will advance to face the winner of No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 9 TCU (Thursday at 12:15 PM) on Saturday in Greenville.
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\nFor all the latest news, updates, and content from on site at the NCAA Tournament, follow Siena Basketball on X (@SienaMBB<\/a>), Facebook (SienaBasketball<\/a>), and Instagram (sienambb<\/a>)
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