Maliq Brown said the quiet part out loud at halftime as Duke trailed 16 seeded, Siena, 43-32.
"We thought it was going to be a cakewalk going into this game so now we know what it is so we just have to respond back." Maliq told Tracy Wolfson on the CBS broadcast.
Even despite still being down Caleb Foster and Pat Ngongba one might feel that Siena would be a breeze. Looks like the players felt that way, too.
Fortunately, Duke woke it up in the second half and completed their biggest comeback of the year with a final of 71-65. It certainly fits with how Duke played in the first half of the season where they would play lesser teams close in the first half of games and then turn it on in the second half.
I don't think that's necessarily how Duke wanted it, but they have certainly shown an ability to turn games around in the second half. That most likely made Duke fans feel a little more at ease and have a sense of confidence that the Devils would pull through.
However, you should look for Duke to change the tone going into their second round matchup with TCU on Saturday. Especially with how Isaiah Evans looked heading towards the locker room after the game. Despite getting the win, he looked less than pleased.
On the positive end of things, this was yet another game that confirms the emergence of Cayden Boozer over the course of this postseason. Something that has been much needed for Duke to be at their best in Caleb Foster's absence.
This was the third straight double digit performance for Cayden. Today he gave a season high 19 points, following up his previous best in back-to-back 16 point outings against Clemson and then Virginia in the ACC Championship game.
Now, all of the attention will be on Pat Ngongba and his status against TCU. There was a strong belief that with him being held out last week in the ACC Tournament, he would be ready to go today.
"We're going to keep taking it day by day. And, again, he's itching to play. But, we're not quite there for tomorrow just yet." was the update Jon Scheyer gave in his presser yesterday.
Regardless, I think it's fair to say Duke got a valuable wake up call and live to see another day as a team who is on their pursuit of title number six.