You would think after two No. 16 over No. 1 seed upsets in recent years - Virginia and Purdue going down in 2018 and 2023, respectively - that no top seed would be overconfident heading into the NCAA Tournament in 2026.
But you would be wrong.
Duke, the No. 1 overall seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament, is on serious upset alert against No. 16 seed Siena. Duke trailed by 11 points at halftime to Siena, which is led by former Syracuse star Gerry McNmara (who is expected to leave immediately after the NCAA Tournament). The Blue Devils are continuing to trail in the second half, with just over 10:00 to play, but it's getting closer and closer.
At halftime, Duke forward Maliq Brown spoke with CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson. He revealed his team's mindset heading into the first round game. It's not a good look for Duke and head coach Jon Scheyer.
Duke's 6-foot-9 senior forward told Wolfson that he and his teammates were expecting the first round game against Siena to be a cakewalk.
"We thought it was going to be a cakewalk going into this game so now we know what it is so we just have to respond back," Brown told the longtime CBS Sports sideline reporter on Thursday.
This is not a freshman making a dumb comment. It's a fourth-year senior with plenty of NCAA Tournament experience. Why is he admitting that his team didn't take its opponent seriously in the first round of the NCAA Tournament?
This is a really bad look for Duke and its coach, Jon Scheyer
If Duke's players are talking like this, it means that this is the kind of preparation that they took into the first round game. Teams that are expecting their opponent to be tough do not talk like this. Arrogant, underprepared teams do, though.
"Insane quote," longtime basketball writer Jason Scheer shared.
"It remains unlikely, but there is certainly a chance this becomes one of the most infamous quotes in sports history and is cited by analysts as how not to approach any sporting event for decades to come," one fan added.
"This is a WILD quote," another shared.
"Insane. NO GAME IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT IS A CAKE WALK!" one fan added.
"This is completely insane," one fan added.
There is still some time left in this one, but right now, it's not looking good for the Blue Devils today.
The game is airing on CBS.
