The 11-seeded Duquesne Dukes rolled into their first NCAA Tournament since 1977. They surely made the best of the moment, as the Dukes upset 6-seeded BYU to start the 2024 NCAA Tournament off right!
Duquesne earned its first NCAA Tournament win since 1969 with the win over the Cougars. The Dukes held BYU down for virtually the entire game, starting it off by pitching a shutout, no less. BYU did its damnedest to get back into the game, but it was just too little, too late.
There was a celebratory atmosphere in the air after the game ended! And for good reason. The Dukes weren’t thought highly of after thieving a bid out of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They were nearly ten-point underdogs, but that didn’t stop them from pulling off a stunner to start Thursday’s action.
It’s a big day for Keith Dambrot, who earned the university’s first tournament win since 1969, and plans to retire after this season. He once coached LeBron James in high school, which became a sticking point this week when LeBron sent the team new shoes.
LeBron jumped online to congratulate his former coach on the huge win.
On another note, though, Duquesne’s upset is topical for other reasons. Those in charge of the NCAA Tournament and otherwise seem to want to change everything. Chris Vannini pointed out that this upset, in particular, might be what they’re trying to take away.
The Sickos Committee pointed out just how jarring this win was. Duquesne started A-10 play with an 0-5 record!
And as ESPN college basketball writer Jeff Borzello pointed out, statistically speaking, something had to give.
In all, congratulations to Duquesne! March Madness is fleeting, so every moment savored is worth it. Hopefully the Dukes take this one and hold it tight.
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022