Sports
Duke takes lessons from ACC tourney to Big Dance with No. 1 overall seed
Mar 14, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) cuts down the net after defeating the Virginia Cavaliers in the men’s ACC Conference Tournament Championship at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images Among the goals for top-ranked Duke was to learn as much as possible from a restructured lineup during the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.
Then the Blue Devils learned Sunday that they’ll have a challenging route to negotiate through the NCAA Tournament.
Duke is the overall No. 1 seed and occupies the top line in the East Region.
“We felt we could be really good,” coach Jon Scheyer said. “The character and the connectivity, and that’s been the most exciting part for me to watch develop.”
The Blue Devils (32-2) will meet Siena (23-11), champion of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, on Thursday in Greenville, S.C.
Duke survived a number of tests during the ACC tournament that involved a one-point escape against Florida State, an endurance challenge against Clemson and a back-and-forth final in Saturday night’s 74-70 victory against 10th-ranked Virginia in Charlotte.
The Blue Devils did all this without center Patrick Ngongba II and guard Caleb Foster, whose injuries from the final week of the regular season threatened to disrupt the team’s flow.
Instead, Duke found the necessary answers for three victories in Charlotte. The next quest could include as many as six more triumphs, culminating in the Final Four at Indianapolis.
“I think we’re going to learn so much from this,” Scheyer said of assessing the fallout from the conference tournament.
Among the emerging storylines was the play of guard Cayden Boozer, twin brother of ACC Player of the Year Cameron Boozer. Cayden Boozer was called upon to largely fill in for Foster and he produced in big ways in the semifinal and final, posting consecutive 16-point games which were the highest scoring of his freshman season.
“We’re going to need that from him the rest of the year,” Cameron Boozer said.
While the sample size was small for that heightened role, Cayden Boozer didn’t shy away from it.
“I think it just shows the competitive spirit that we all have,” he said. “Even when we’re dealing with adversity, still find a way to win the game.”
The offense had shaky moments, shooting a combined 41.2% in the last two games.
“We can trust our defense even when our offense isn’t maybe the smoothest,” Scheyer said.
Duke’s NCAA Tournament path could be cluttered with potholes, with a victory against Siena bringing on a matchup with either Ohio State or TCU and then likely followed by either fourth-seeded Kansas or fifth-seeded St. John’s, the Big East Conference champion.
The other half of the East Region bracket includes No. 2 seed Connecticut plus two teams – third-seeded Michigan State and sixth-seeded Louisville – the Blue Devils have defeated.
Duke’s resume is so solid in part because the Blue Devils defeated two No. 1 seeds (Florida, Michigan) this season. But in many ways, it’s a clean slate moving forward, especially if the Blue Devils aren’t at full health.
Indianapolis is the site for the Final Four, a fitting potential landing spot for the Blue Devils. Duke has won three of its five national championships, including its most recent two in 2010 and 2015, in Indianapolis.
Duke’s trek begins in Greenville, where the Blue Devils launched their 2022 Final Four run. Though not in their home state, it’s normally not comfortable for the Blue Devils to be in the same building as North Carolina – now holding a spot in the other bracket at that site – in that region given the general distaste for Duke among rabid Tar Heels fans.
If the Blue Devils advance from the first weekend, the path goes through Washington D.C., where they won a showdown with Michigan last month, in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight rounds.
Foot injuries have sidelined Ngongba (10.7 points per game) and Foster (8.5 ppg).
Foster had surgery following the regular season and the likelihood of him playing in the NCAA Tournament seems cloudy at best. On the other hand, there are signs suggesting Ngongba could be back on the court for the opening round.
“I can tell you he’s improving,” Scheyer said. “I feel very positive about it, but I can’t say what that means as far as later in the week in terms of timing or readiness, because we have to take it step by step.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Syracuse hero Gerry McNamara returning as coach
Siena Saints head coach Gerry McNamara calls a play Thursday, March 19, 2026, during the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament first round game against the Duke Blue Devils at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. Gerry McNamara, who led Syracuse to its lone national title in 2003 as the starting point guard, is close to finalizing a deal to be the school’s next head coach, ESPN reported on Sunday.
McNamara, 42, has been the head coach at Siena the last two seasons, guiding the Saints to the NCAA Tournament this season after winning the MAAC conference tournament. As a No. 16 seed, Siena gave top-seeded Duke a scare in the first round on Thursday before losing 71-65.
Before taking over at Siena, McNamara served as an assistant coach under Jim Boeheim and Adrian Autry for 15 seasons.
Per the report, McNamara has had multiple discussions — virtually and in person — with Syracuse athletic director Bryan Blair over the past week.
During the process, school officials reportedly emphasized a commitment to being among the top third of ACC schools in terms of NIL.
Along with helping Syracuse win the national title during his freshman year alongside Carmelo Anthony, McNamara holds the program records for 3-pointers (400), 3-point attempts (1,131), free-throw percentage (88.8%) and minutes played (4,799). An All-Big East honoree three times, he started all 135 games of his career from 2002-06 and had his No. 3 jersey retired in 2023.
McNamara returned to his alma mater in 2009 as a graduate assistant, then was elevated to an assistant in 2011 under Boeheim. He received another promotion, to associate head coach, when Autry was named Boeheim’s successor in 2023.
McNamara left for Siena in 2024, posting a 37-30 record in two seasons. Before this spring, the Saints had not made the NCAA Tournament since 2010.
Autry, also a former star player at Syracuse, was fired earlier this month after the Orange missed out on the NCAA Tournament in his three seasons at the helm.
Syracuse did not qualify for each of the last five NCAA Tournaments, which represents the school’s longest dry spell since 1967-72. From 1973 to 2021, the Orange participated in 39 of the 48 tournaments.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Jets end skid by beating Rangers in OT
Mar 22, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Winnipeg Jets left wing Kyle Connor (81) passes the puck while defended by New York Rangers defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov (44) during the first period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images Kyle Connor and Gabriel Villardi scored in the first two rounds of the shootout and the visiting Winnipeg Jets ended a three-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory over the host New York Rangers on Sunday afternoon.
Connor scored when he got a shot to trickle under rookie Dylan Garand’s pads and his shootout goal occurred after he had 11 shot attempts in regulation and overtime. Vilardi scored when he cut to the right and flicked a wrist shot by Garand.
Backup goalie Eric Comrie stopped Vincent Trocheck and J.T. Miller in the shootout after making three saves during an interference penalty on Mark Scheifele in overtime.
The Jets (29-29-12, 70 points) snapped their skid after blowing a pair of one-goal leads. Winnipeg began Sunday five points behind the Nashville Predators for the final wild-card spot.
Adam Lowry and Vilardi scored in regulation for the Jets, who could not score during a late power play in overtime. Comrie made 27 saves and prevented the Jets from another loss.
Tye Kartye and Mika Zibanejad scored tying goals in the second period as the Rangers (28-33-9, 65 points) lost their fourth straight. Garand made 35 saves in a solid NHL debut after being called up to replace backup goalie Jonathan Quick (upper-body injury).
Lowry opened the scoring with 6:54 left in the first period when he got a step on New York defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and buried a tap-in after getting to the front of the net. Kartye tied it 41 seconds into the second period after Miller pried the puck away from Vilardi.
Vilardi gave the Jets the lead again with 13:17 left when he finished off a one-timer in between the circle after being left open by Braden Schneider and Kartye. Zibanejad tied when he took a pass from Adam Fox and blasted a one-timer from the right circle past Comrie with 5:57 remaining.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Lionel Messi scores as Inter Miami rally past NYCFC
Mar 22, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York City FC midfielder Keaton Parks (55) and New York City FC midfielder Maximiliano Moralez (10) fight for the ball challenged by Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10) during the first half at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Smith-Imagn Images Micael Dos Santos’ go-ahead goal in the 74th minute lifted Inter Miami to a 3-2 comeback victory over host New York City FC on Sunday afternoon.
Dos Santos headed home a beautiful ball from fellow defender Noah Allen, which found its way past NYCFC keeper Matt Freese and gave Inter Miami (3-1-1, 10 points) its first MLS win since March 7.
Lionel Messi scored his 901st career goal and Gonzalo Lujan scored his first career MLS goal for Inter Miami, which bounced back after being eliminated from the CONCACAF Champions Cup on Wednesday after a pair of draws against Nashville and that side advancing on the away goals tiebreaker.
NYCFC (3-1-1, 10 points) suffered its first defeat of the season and snapped a three-game winning streak despite goals from Nicolas Fernandez Mercau and Agustin Ojeda.
Maxi Moralez delivered his own stellar assist to Ojeda in the 59th minute to put NYCFC briefly ahead 2-1.
Moralez sent a great ball through traffic down the middle of the field to Ojeda, who was uncontested, and flipped the ball past Inter Miami goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair.
But two minutes later, Inter Miami earned a free kick and Messi delivered. His shot deflected off NYCFC’s Hannes Wolf and redirected past Freese (five saves) to tie the game at 2.
Messi nearly had a multi-goal match as he came close on several chances. He hit the post in the 31st minute and the crossbar in the 42nd minute. He also had a late opportunity to pad Miami’s lead but missed wide.
German Berterame appeared to extend Miami’s lead in the 79th minute, but what would have been his first goal with his new club was nullified after he was ruled offside.
After Lujan scored in the fourth minute, NYCFC leveled the match on a fantastic free kick goal by Fernandez Mercau, who lifted a high shot that bounced just under the crossbar and in, freezing St. Clair in place in the 17th minute.
NYCFC used Moralez as a decoy, having him approach as if he would take the shot and then Fernandez Mercau ran up and booted it.
St. Clair (three saves) made a huge save late in stoppage time to preserve Inter Miami’s win.
–Field Level Media
Report: Syracuse hero Gerry McNamara returning as coach
NYT Strands hints, answers for March 22, 2026
