The Duquesne Dukes, from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, have only ever played in NCAA Division I and have made six appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
The No. 11-seeded Duquesne University men’s basketball team continued its historic season with a 71-67 win over No. 6 BYU in the First Round of the NCAA Division 1 Men’s Basketball Championship on Thursday, March 21. This is the Dukes’ first NCAA Tournament win since 1969.
A slow start left BYU trailing Duquesne. The lead man for the Dukes was Dae Dae Grant, who scored 12 points. Meanwhile, the Cougars were scoreless in the opening four minutes of action. Duquesne’s physicality on defense rattled BYU – guard Dallin Hall felt the brunt of that with an elbow to the nose. Fans took notice of this style of play, “I liked this team ever since we beat Dayton in the A-10 tournament. After all the upsets in the tournament that day, I said wow, we really have a chance to win this (every other team left we beat in the regular season). I thought we had a chance against BYU because of how we play (strong on defense) and how they like to play fast and shoot the 3. I still can’t believe we’ve made it this far,” says Duquesne Alumni Andrew Christensen.
BYU got close many times, but Duquesne continued to have the answers. The Dukes’ defense kept the Cougars shooting to under 40%. BYU’s season came to a close with a record of 23-11 on the season.
Hundreds of Duquesne fans cheered on the Dukes on campus and at local restaurants. Class of 2019 Alumni and first-grade teacher Ashley Rossetti took matters into her own hands, “Our first grade watched the second half of the game. My class at the Alcott School in Wolcott, Connecticut, kept score for Duquesne. Every time they scored, we would make a new equation to add up the points. During the time outs and commercial breaks, we would find the difference between the two scores to see Duquesne’s lead. All my students were so excited to see the college I went to win the game!”
The No.11 Duquesne Dukes take on the No.3 Illinois Fighting Illini in the Second Round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament on Sunday, March 23. Illinois struggled to pull away from No.14 Morehead State throughout the first half of their First Round matchup, but went into the second half with adjustments. The Illini were able to move onto the Round of 32 after an 85-68 win.
Never underestimate the underdog.
