Duke was not well prepared for its opening round matchup against 16-seeded Siena.
That was obvious from a porous performance in the first half. If it wasn't, it became obvious from comments by Maliq Brown at halftime and Cameron Boozer after the game.
Brown commented in a halftime interview that Duke thought Siena would be a "cakewalk." After the game, Boozer dove further into the Blue Devils' mentality for the first round of the NCAA Tournament:
“We came out here with the mentality that it was going to be handed to us, and obviously that’s not what happened. We got punched in the mouth," Boozer said.
That's not a great look for Jon Scheyer, who has consistently shown his coaching chops this season in leading Duke to the No. 1 overall seed in the Big Dance despite losing five NBA Draft picks from last season's team.
Scheyer admitted after the game that Gerry McNamara outcoached him. That can't happen again, and better, more experienced tournament coaches are waiting in a loaded East Region.
Jon Scheyer must do a better job getting Duke prepared moving forward in March Madness
On Saturday, Duke faces off against TCU in the second round. The Horned Frogs are coached by Jamie Dixon, who will devise a game plan designed to take care of the flaws that Duke had on clear display in the opening round against Siena.
Scheyer will have Duke better prepared in the Round of 32, but TCU is a much better team than Siena, and the Blue Devils could be susceptible to an upset, especially if Patrick Ngongba is unable to play again.
If Duke advances to the Sweet 16, a two-time national championship-winning coach will likely be waiting in either Bill Self and Kansas or Rick Pitino and St. John's. Another title-winning coach would likely be in the way in the Elite Eight, with either Dan Hurley and UConn or Tom Izzo and Michigan State.
Duke is in a brutal bracket, and cannot afford another game where they aren't well-prepared, where Scheyer is "outcoached", and where they have to get punched in the mouth before they respond.