Why Siena only used five players vs. Duke: Gerry McNamara's head-scratching lineup decision costs historic 16-1 upset
Here is more on why Siena only used five players for the majority of the game and how it contributed to the loss to Duke.
Why Siena only used five players vs. Duke: Gerry McNamara's head-scratching lineup decision costs historic 16-1 upset originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Part of basketball is mental, both on the players' and the coaches' side. Coaches have to decide how to use their lineup and manage their players' minutes. Rarely do we see one player on the court the entire game because not only does it require high athleticism, but players will naturally get tired as the game goes on, which could impact their performance.
Siena entered the 2026 NCAA Tournament as a 16-seed and was given the tournament's No. 1 overall seed, Duke, in the first round. A 16-seed has beaten a No.
1 seed twice in NCAA Tournament history. Siena was up 11 points at halftime. The Blue Devils battled back into the game, but Siena didn't let them pull away, staying in it until the end.