Duquesne is moving on in March Madness for the first time in 55 years.
The 11th-seeded Dukes toppled No. 6 BYU by a score of 71-67 Thursday afternoon in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The victory marked the program's first national tournament win since 1969.
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Senior guard Dae Dae Grant led the charge for Duquesne with 19 points and some clutch free throws in the final minute to put the game out of reach. Freshman forward Jakub Necas supplied a boost off the bench with 12 points, six boards and three blocks.
Duquesne finished sixth in the Atlantic 10 regular season standings before winning the conference tournament. The conference championship gave the Dukes their first NCAA Tournament berth since 1977 and sixth overall.
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The Dukes got some help from LeBron James before their first-round upset. Duquesne head coach Keith Dambrot coached James at St. Vincent-St. Mary's High School for two years, and the Los Angeles Lakers star paid it back by giving Dambrot's players new shoes for March Madness.
Next up for Dambrot and the Dukes is a matchup against either No. 3 Illinois or No. 14 Morehead State on Saturday.
