At Omaha on Thursday afternoon, the 11th-seeded Duquesne Dukes men’s basketball team authored a moment for the history books, defeating 6th-seeded BYU 71-67 in the opening round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. It marked Duquesne’s first NCAA Tournament victory since 1969 and extended their remarkable winning streak this season to 9 games.
From the opening tip, the Dukes came out firing on all cylinders, storming to a 9-0 lead while playing lockdown defense against the shellshocked Cougars. No. 3 Dae Dae Grant, who plays guard, set the tone by burying a three on the first possession.
Despite BYU’s second-half push to erase a 14-point deficit and eventually knot the score at 60-60 down the stretch, the resilient Dukes refused to wilt. They responded with a 5-0 spurt and then knocked down a barrage of late free throws to ice their monumental triumph.
The signature win was the culmination of a storybook campaign for Duquesne, who has now matched the program’s 1954 record with 25 victories. Head coach Keith Dambrot, who had announced his retirement just days ago after over a quarter-century patrolling the sidelines, was quick to deflect praise.
“They just won’t let me retire,” Dambrot joked. “They keep winning games, they’ll make me an old man!”
Having slayed their 55-year NCAA Tourney drought, the Duquesne Dukes will look to extend their run versus 3rd-seeded Illinois in the second round to be held on Saturday.
