Duke vs. Siena: Jon Scheyer, Gerry McNamara carry uncommon NCAA Match historical past

When top-seeded Duke faces off with No. 16 Siena in Thursday’s first spherical of the NCAA Match, the matchup will characteristic a March Insanity rarity: coaches who gained nationwide championships as gamers. 

And in Duke’s Jon Scheyer and Siena’s Gerry McNamara, now we have two millennial captains of the sharp-shooting, slick-passing selection. 

Scheyer was a multi-year starter and All-American for the Blue Devils whose greatest marketing campaign got here as a senior, serving to propel Duke to a title-game win over Butler in 2010 with 15 factors and 5 assists within the ultimate. 

A two-time All-Huge East guard at Syracuse, Siena’s McNamara hit six 3-pointers throughout a first-half barrage within the 2023 nationwide title recreation in opposition to Kansas. McNamara scored 2,099 profession factors with the Orange, whereas Scheyer completed with 2,077 beneath Mike Kryzewski at Duke.

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That is solely the eighth time in NCAA Match historical past that former gamers who gained nationwide championships in uniform will now sq. off throughout March Insanity as coaches, in response to CBS Sports activities Analysis. 

NCAA Match video games between coaches who gained titles as gamers

McNamara by no means missed a begin throughout his profession with the Orange and helped Syracuse seize a championship in 2003, with heralded freshman Carmelo Anthony and veteran Hakim Warrick alongside of him within the beginning lineup. McNamara stayed 4 years at Syracuse and in his ultimate season delivered a stirring Huge East Match Championship, saving a Syracuse season that in any other case would have ended on the fallacious aspect of the bubble.

Syracuse gained 4 video games in 4 days at Madison Sq. Backyard, together with an upset of UConn within the quarterfinals that went to extra time courtesy of McNamara’s one-legged three-pointer. 

Former Syracuse coach and school basketball Corridor of Famer Jim Boeheim mentioned he has watched practically all of his former participant’s video games this season with Siena. 

“He is simply the preferred participant, I feel, we have ever had. ” Boeheim mentioned Friday on ACC Community. “We have had higher gamers, however I feel he is the preferred participant we have ever had.”

McNamara has led Siena to 23 wins this season, solely his second on the program after he was employed in 2024 to resurrect a gaggle that had misplaced 28 video games the earlier marketing campaign. McNamara was beforehand an assistant Syracuse beneath Boeheim and his short-lived successor, Adrian Autry. 

“It is slightly simpler immediately due to the switch portal, but it surely’s nonetheless not straightforward,” Boeheim mentioned. “He is simply finished an awesome job. It is actually extra a tribute to teaching than the switch portal as a result of he needed to make so many changes. He did not get 5 guys after which put them on the market they usually performed all 12 months and gained. He received seven or eight guys, misplaced two or three. … He navigated that, and that is what teaching is. I am very comfortable for him.”

Scheyer and the Blue Devils are one of many NCAA Match favorites to chop down the nets in Indianapolis, fueled by manufacturing from varied elite-talent freshmen. Scheyer led Duke to a Last 4 look final spring and completed 35-4 general, however this 12 months’s crew is monitoring to greatest that mark because the ACC’s common season and match champions.

Duke is the No. 1 general seed in March Insanity and is 126-42 (.750) all-time within the NCAA Match, marking the very best profitable proportion in match historical past by a crew with a minimal of 20 video games performed, per 247Sports.

The Blue Devils have gained 11 straight video games getting into the NCAA Match. Scheyer mentioned Sunday that making an attempt to scale down the second for his eight-man rotation, which is closely first-year gamers with out March Insanity expertise, is the target earlier than tip off.

“I do not suppose ignoring it the reply, we simply attempt to deal with it instantly and normalize the very fact [that that is what you wished,” Scheyer mentioned. “That is proper the place you wished to be in place within the NCAA Match (as) the 1-seed. You’ve got earned this chance. We discuss being current on daily basis and what comes with the good components, comes with tips on how to deal with the distractions. I’d name them distractions, as a result of there’s lots of consideration on it and that is precisely what you need it to be.”

Duke opened as a 29.5-point favourite in opposition to Siena, one of many first spherical’s largest spreads, by way of FanDuel Sportsbook.