The countdown to Duke’s NCAA Tournament opener vs. Siena is now official

Duke is the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament as expected following its three wins in three days to capture the ACC Tournament championship.

The Blue Devils will face off with 16-seeded Siena in the Round of 64, coached by former Syracuse star Gerry McNamara. That matchup now has an official start time.

Duke will lead off the second set of afternoon games at 2:50pm ET and will be televised by CBS:

It's important to note that tip-off times are approximate, especially for games that follow other matchups. TCU and Ohio State are scheduled for a 12:15pm ET tip, and if that game runs long, Duke's opening round matchup could be slightly delayed as a result.

Duke to open the NCAA Tournament at 2:50 ET against Siena on Thursday

Duke is a massive favorite over Siena in Thursday's matchup, opening as a 27.5-point favorite on FanDuel.

Duke will open the tournament in Greenville with what should be a significant home court advantage against the Saints and either Ohio State or TCU in the Round of 32.

If the Blue Devils are able to get through the opening weekend, they will advance to the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight in Washington, D.C, where Jon Scheyer will then have to navigate through legendary coaches in either Rick Pitino or Bill Self in the Sweet 16 and potentially either Dan Hurley or Tom Izzo in the Elite Eight.

Scheyer won't let himself focus on that, however, as the only game that currently matters is Siena. Duke might be the heavy favorite, but Siena is a capable team that cannot be overlooked.

The biggest storyline for Duke heading into Thursday's matchup will be whether or not star center Patrick Ngongba will be able to play or not. The sophomore sat out the ACC Tournament with an injury, and his status for the start of the Big Dance remains up in the air.