Duke Basketball Roundup

How is your heart rate? The Duke Basketball Roundup is here
to talk you down off the ledge from a nerve-wracking opening NCAA tourney game against the 16-seeded Sienna Saints. It was a tale of two halves as Duke looked nothing like a top seed in the opening 20 but then found their way in the back half thanks to some real heroics from Cayden Boozer and his supporting cast (yes, it feels strange to even type that sentence).

Jason and Donald break down the reasons not to be too worried about this game and point out some nice historical precedents to show that, despite a less-than-expected opening round win, Duke is still a major national title contender.

Survive and advance... that is all that matters at this time of year.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the eve of the start of the NCAA Tournament for Duke comes big news... Evan Bradds, one of the brilliant assistant coaches on Scheyer's squad, is being hired to be head coach at Belmont, one of the better mid-major programs in the country. Bradds was a star player at Belmont and the allure of heading home had to appeal to him. Luckily, he has committed to sticking around the Duke program until the season is done, hopefully the first Monday in April. The Duke Basketball Roundup discusses what this move will mean for Duke and Jon Scheyer moving forward.The podcast guys also chime in with the latest on Patrick Ngongba's injury situation. Jason and Donald were both listening in today as Jon Scheyer told the media what to expect from the big man with a bum foot.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Duke Basketball Roundup again welcomes underdog expert Jordan Brenner to the pod... and there has never been a better time to chat with him as we are on the verge of the NCAA Tournament. For 20 years. Jordan has been one of the definitive experts on picking upsets and bracket busters. Find out why he loves VCU, McNeese, and High Point... as well as why he thinks certain popular teams are safer than others. 

But, before Jordan gives us his picks, we spend a little time reflecting on the Duke season, especially how the team looked in the ACC tourney playing without Caleb or Big Pat. What does this analytics expert think of Duke's chance if they don't get these two players back? Listen in to find out! 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The NCAA Tournament begins for Duke on Thursday, and their First Round opponent is the Siena Saints. We preview the 1 vs. 16 matchup on DBR Bites #152.

Siena is coached by Syracuse legend Gerry McNamara, and they got to the Dance by winning the MAAC Tournament. We look at who they’ve played and how they’ve played, taking into account what the metrics and the eye test tells us.

After the break, we discuss some of the players and how they got Siena to this point. We then recap with some of the things to watch, including the question of whether Pat Ngongba will play as Duke heads to Greenville.

Make sure you’re following us! Head to our Linktree to get all our available social media and links to follow and subscribe to the show. That includes our affiliate partnerships, from SLAM (use the code DBR15 to save 15%), Homefield Apparel (use the code DBRPODCAST to save 15% off your first order) and Fanatics to the NBA Store, NFL Shop, and even Fubo TV. And...we have some more coming! Save some cash on the latest gear or follow the Blue Devils on the go by hitting those affiliate links and it helps support the show as well. We are now on YouTube and Instagram! Subscribe there, rate, and review our episodes on there and everywhere you get your podcasts. Also, follow us on Bluesky ⁠@DukeRoundup⁠!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It has only been less than 24 hours since Duke won the ACC title over Virginia but there is little time to look back as the most important games now lie before us. The Duke Basketball Roundup crew is already deep into their analysis of the brackets, especially Duke's East region, which looks absolutely loaded. Jason, Donald, and special guest Scott Rich say that if this was Duke's reward for being the overall #1 seed, what would their region have looked like if they had been a little bit lower in the rankings?!?! 

After the guys break down almost every team in the region (Jason even moans about the quality of #16 seed Siena) the guys turn their gaze to the rest of the bracket. They all like Houston to get back to the Final Four and they see some real obstacles standing in Arizona's way. 

This episode is the first of several to dissect the bracket ahead of Duke's first game on Thursday. Be sure to stick with the DBR Podcast for a whole week of conversation as March Madness is upon us! 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices