Duke will open the NCAA Tournament this afternoon against 16-seeded Siena, and they will have to do so without star sophomore center Patrick Ngongba, who head coach Jon Scheyer said would be "very unlikely" to play on Thursday and then confirmed he would be out with the Blue Devils' official injury report.
But Ngongba's absence hasn't changed anything for oddsmakers. Duke opened as a 27.5-point favorite against Gerry McNamara's Saints, and that's exactly where the line has remained as of 11 am ET on Thursday, just a few short hours before tip-off.
Final odds and a prediction for Duke vs. Siena in the Round of 64
- Spread: Duke -27.5
- Moneyline: -50000 Duke, +5500 Siena
- Point total (over/under): 136.5
Odds are from FanDuel Sportsbook and are liable to change at anytime.
Duke should have little trouble dispatching Siena even without Ngongba. The Saints do start a 7-footer in Riley Mulvey, but Cameron Boozer and Maliq Brown should hold up just fine even when he's in the game. When Mulvey is out of the game, Siena tends to go small with a 6-foot-7 player taking over the duties at the 5 spot.
Final Prediction for 1-seed Duke vs. 16-seed Siena in March Madness
The Blue Devils are heavy favorites for a reason. A 16-seed has only ever beaten a 1-seed twice in history, and lightning is unlikely to strike for a third time in Greenville on Thursday afternoon.
Siena is not the type of mid-major that usually finds success in these matchups. Despite a former elite three-point shooter in McNamara as the head coach, the Saints struggle from three-point range and will likely have to try to beat Duke in a half-court game. Good luck with that!
Duke might need Ngongba for a second round matchup against either Ohio State or TCU, but it will cruise without him to open the NCAA Tournament.