By Sanderson “Snuffy” Smith

GAME 36
2024 NCAA Division I Championship
#11 Duquesne (24-11) vs. #6 BYU (20-12)
Thursday, March 21, 2024 | 12:40 p.m.
Omaha, Neb. | CHI Health Center Arena (17,560)

Opening Tip

– The Duquesne University men’s basketball team, which owns the fifth longest winning streak in NCAA Division I at eight games, makes its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 1977 Thursday, March 21, with a 12:40 p.m. tip against #6 BYU in Omaha, Neb., at CHI Health Center Arena.

– The Dukes earned the #11 seed in the East Region after winning the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship in Brooklyn, N.Y., at the Barclays Center with a 57-51 win over VCU in the title game. Senior guard Dae Dae Grant led Duquesne in the win over the Rams with 10 points and added two assists and four steals, while senior guard Jimmy Clark III tallied nine points, three assists and four steals.

– Grant was named the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship Most Outstanding Player after averaging 16.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting 42.6 percent from the field, including 41.4 percent (12-for-29) from beyond the arc.

– Joining Grant on the 2024 All-Atlantic 10 Championship Team was Clark III, who averaged 15.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.

– Duquesne has won 10 of its last 11 games and 15 of 17 since an 0-5 start in the Atlantic 10.

– Clark III was named to the 2024 All-Atlantic 10 Second Team as well as the 2024 All-Atlantic 10 Defensive Team in a vote of league head coaches, with senior guard Dae Dae Grant joining Clark III on the second team.

– Thanks to a 67-65 win over George Washington to conclude the 2023-24 regular season, Duquesne has notched back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since 1970-71 and 1971-72. In seven seasons as head coach, Keith Dambrot, who announced he will retire at the end of the season, has guided the Dukes to three 20-win campaigns.

– Grant enters the 2024 NCAA Tournament game leading the Atlantic 10 in free-throw percentage (93.9%) while ranking fifth in the conference in scoring, while guard Jimmy Clark III paces the A-10 in steals with an average of 2.37 per contest.

– When holding opponents to less than 70 points in seven years under head coach Keith Dambrot, Duquesne has posted a record of 75-17 (.815), including a 19-1 (.950) mark during the 2023-24 campaign.

– The winner of Thursday’s game will advance to the round of 32 Saturday, March 23, and will face the winner of #3 Illinois and #14 Morehead State, which square off Thursday at 3:10 p.m.

Scouting the Cougars – Big 12 Conference member … located in Provo, Utah … The Cougars are in their first season in the Big 12 after 12 seasons in the West Coast Conference (WCC) … Led by head coach Mark Pope, who has led BYU to four 20-win seasons in five seasons as head coach … Making second NCAA Tournament appearance (2021) under Pope … Prior to his stint as head coach of the Cougars, Pope finished 77-56 (.579) in four seasons at Utah Valley out of the Western Athletic Conference (WCC) … BYU ranks 20th in NCAA Division I in scoring offense at 81.8 points per game … Four different Cougars have buried at least 50 three-pointers this season, including a team-high 76 from Jaxson Robinson …  BYU ranks second in NCAA Division I in three-point field goals made per game (11.2) and third in total three-pointers (370) … Robinson leads the Cougars in scoring (13.8 ppg) as seven different players average between 9.0 and 14.0 points per contest.

The All-Time Series vs. BYU – Duquesne and BYU tip for just the third time in program history and first time since 1953 Thursday as part of the 2024 NCAA Championship … The Dukes have won each of the previous two meetings, including a 51-39 home victory at Duquesne Gardens Dec. 9, 1947, and a 69-47 triumph over the Cougars at Madison Square Garden as part of the Holiday Festival Dec. 28, 1953 … In the win at MSG, former forward Jim Tucker (1952-54) led the way with 23 points, while Keith Dambrot‘s father, Sid, scored two points, finishing 2-for-4 at the free-throw line … Tucker scored 1,091 points during his career at Duquesne, averaging 16.0 points per game, as the Dukes finished 70-15 (.824) in his three seasons with the program, ranking in the Associated Press Top 10 each year … Tucker ranks 34th in program history in scoring, 47 points ahead of guard Dae Dae Grant, who enters the 2024 NCAA Tournament ranked 37th with 1,044 career points with the Dukes … Tucker went on to win an NBA Championship with the Syracuse Nationals in 1954-55 after his career at Duquesne.

Head Coach Keith Dambrot (Seventh Year at Duquesne | 26th Year Overall) – Keith Dambrot, who built Akron into one of the most successful – and most respected – programs in the Mid-American Conference over 13 seasons, was named head men’s basketball coach at Duquesne University on March 28, 2017. The veteran coach wasted no time making an impact on the DU program with 65 wins in his first four seasons. He became just the fourth head coach in program history to reach 100 victories thanks to a 95-47 win over Cleary, and his three 20-win seasons – in just seven years – rank third in program history. Dambrot reached a significant career milestone on Feb. 8, 2023 when he posted his 500th career victory with a 75-52 triumph over George Mason. Dambrot owns an overall record of 528-304 (.635) during his career as a head coach, and his father, Sid, was part of Duquesne teams that finished ranked in the Associated Press Top 10 in 1952 (No. 4), 1953 (No. 9) and 1954 (No. 5). The 1954 team, which went 26-3, made it to No. 1 in the AP poll for two weeks in February of 1954. The Dukes played in both the NCAA tournament and NIT in 1952 and the NIT in both 1953 and 1954.

VCU Leftovers – Duquesne has won three straight over the Rams and picked up its first victory over VCU in the Atlantic 10 Championships … The Dukes trailed for just 48 seconds in the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship final and in the four games of the tournament were behind by a total of 12:05 … Duquesne shot a season-low 29.8 percent (17-for-57) … The two teams combined for 22 steals … VCU blocked nine shots, matching a season high by an opponent … Duquesne registered a 41-34 advantage on the glass, including an 18-8 cushion in offensive caroms … Forward Fousseyni Drame grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds and scored six points, finishing 6-for-6 at the free-throw line …  VCU owned a 22-16 edge in points in the paint and a 24-21 advantage in bench points … Duquesne shot 50 percent (7-for-14) from deep in the first half but was just 1-of-11 (9.1%) after the break … The lone triple after halftime from Jakub Necas came with 4:35 to play and gave the Dukes a 49-41 lead.

Defensively Speaking – Thanks to a 57-51 win over VCU in the title game of the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship, Duquesne improved to 36-1 (.973) in seven seasons under head coach Keith Dambrot when holding an opponent under 60 points, including 28 consecutive wins dating back to 2019. The only loss for the Dukes under Dambrot when holding an opponent to less than 60 points came against St. Bonaventure, a 51-49 setback at the A.J. Palumbo Center Feb. 6, 2019. During their eight-game winning streak, the Dukes are holding opponents to 59.9 points per contest.

Pittsburgh Stealers – Duquesne matched a season high for the sixth time this season with 12 steals in a 57-51 win over VCU in the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship final, with senior guard Jimmy Clark III leading the way with four. The Dukes are a perfect 6-0 when recording 12 steals in a game this season and are 10-1 (.909) in 2023-24 when recording at least 10 thefts in a contest. As a team, the Dukes sit third in the Atlantic 10 in steals per game (7.60). Clark III, meanwhile, enters the 2024 NCAA Tournament ranked 10th this year in NCAA Division I in steals per game (2.32). His career average, meanwhile, of 1.92 per contest (194 in 101 games) ranks 18th among active NCAA Division I players. Clark III owns 159 steals in two seasons on the Bluff, which is tied with former Duke Bryant McAllister for ninth in the Duquesne career record book.

Rank & File – Duquesne’s victory over #24 Dayton in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship snapped an eight-game losing streak against ranked opponents. The last win for the Dukes over a ranked foe came Feb. 27, 2014, a 71-64 triumph at #10 Saint Louis. The victory was also the first for Duquesne in five tries against ranked opposition as part of the Atlantic 10 Championship and marked the first win over a nationally ranked opponent on a neutral court one day shy of 55 years. In a consolation game of the 1969 NCAA Tournament, the Dukes earned a 75-72 victory over #8 St. John’s in College Park, Md., March 15, 1969. It also marked the first win over a ranked opponent for head coach Keith Dambrot in 26 years as a head coach.

Triple The Fun – Senior guard Dae Dae Grant etched his name into Duquesne basketball lore with his performance in the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship, helping the Dukes become just the fifth team to win four games and earn the title, joining Xavier (2004, 2006), VCU (2015) and Saint Louis (2019). Grant was named Most Outstanding Player after averaging 16.3 points per game, joining Norm Nixon as the only two student-athletes in program history to garner the honor. Nixon was bestowed the plaudits in 1977. Known for his ability to connect from beyond the arc, Grant enters the 2024 NCAA Tournament with 174 three-pointers in two seasons at Duquesne, which ranks seventh all-time and the most by a student-athlete to play just two seasons with the Dukes. Grant leads Duquesne this year with 80 three-pointers and thanks to three in a 57-51 triumph over VCU in the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship joined former guard Micah Mason (2013-16) as the only two players in school history to drain at least 80 three-pointers in a season on two occasions.

Night Time, Dae Time – Senior guard Dae Dae Grant became the 40th student-athlete in program history to join the Duquesne 1,000-Point Club in a 65-57 win over #24 Dayton, as his jumper at the 6:11 mark of the first half helped him reach the plateau. Grant has scored 1,044 points in two seasons with the Dukes, averaging 16.1 points in 65 games on the Bluff. Thanks to his performance against the Flyers, Grant moved past former forward Chuck Cooper (1946-50), who scored exactly 1,000 points during his time at Duquesne. Grant has eclipsed the 20-point plateau nine times this season, with Duquesne 7-2 (.778) in those contests, as well as 20 times in two seasons on the Bluff. Overall the last two years when Grant scores at least 20 points in a game the Dukes have posted a record of 14-6 (.700).

Did You Know? The Dukes are 11-0 this season when first to reach 70 points against an opponent and have won 30 consecutive games when turning the trick. In seven seasons under head coach Keith Dambrot, Duquesne is 74-7 (.914) when hitting the 70-point plateau first.

30/30/30 – Senior guard Dae Dae Grant led the Dukes in an 81-66 victory over Saint Louis with 31 points, eclipsing the 30-point plateau for the third time this season. Now owning the last 30-point performance by a Duquesne student-athlete at home, on the road (at Rhode Island) and on a neutral court (vs. Santa Clara at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nev.), Grant is the first member of the Dukes to have at least three games scoring 30 or more points in a season since Aaron Jackson (2006-09) during the 2008-09 campaign. That year Jackson scored 36 at Radford and 30 at home against Charlotte before dropping 46 at Virginia Tech in the first round of the 2009 National Invitation Tournament (NIT). The last player for Duquesne to score 30 or more in a game four times during a season was James Hargrove, Jr., in 1991-92.

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PROVO, Utah – BYU will make its 31^st appearance in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, March 21, when the sixth-seeded Cougars face 11^th-seeded Duquesne in the Round of 64 at CHI Health Center in Omaha, Neb. Tip is scheduled for 11:40 a.m. CT.

Thursday’s contest will be broadcast on TruTV with Tom McCarthy, Avery Johnson, Debbie Antonelli and AJ Ross on the call. It will also be broadcast live on KSL 102.7/1160 AM and the Varsity Network app with Greg Wrubell and Mark Durrant on the call.

No. 21 BYU Cougars (23-10, 10-8 Big 12)
·      BYU is 15-33 all-time in the NCAA Tournament including a 3-2 record as a sixth seed (1981, 2021).
·      The Cougars are ranked second in the nation in 3-point makes and attempts per game. According to KenPom.com, BYU is on pace to become one of four high majors to ever attempt more 3s than 2s.
·      Aly Khalifa ranks second in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio as the junior has 114 assists to only 30 turnovers (3.80:1).
·      Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year Jaxson Robinson has hit at least one 3-pointer in 20 consecutive games which is the seventh longest streak in a single season in program history. The senior continues to lead the team in scoring at 13.8 points per game.

Head Coach – Mark Pope
·      Alma Mater: Kentucky, 1996
·      Division I Career Record: 187-107 (9^th Season)
·      Record at BYU:  110-51 (5^th Season)

Duquesne Dukes (24-11, 10-8 A-10)
·      Duquesne is back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 47 years after defeating VCU in the Atlantic 10 Championship game on Sunday. The Dukes have won eight straight games with four of those coming in five days at the A-10 tournament.
·      Head coach Keith Dambrot announced on Monday that he will retire at the end of the season having compiled a record of 115-95 in his seven seasons at Duquesne.
·      Dae Dae Grant and Jimmy Clark III were named to the 2024 All-Atlantic 10 Second Team as the duo averages a combined 31.8 points per game
·      Grant has led the Dukes in scoring over the past two seasons since transferring from Miami (Ohio). He is averaging 16.7 points per game and ranks fourth in the nation in free throw percentage, shooting 93.9 percent from the charity stripe.

 Head Coach – Keith Dambrot
·      Alma Mater: Akron, 1982
·      Career Record: 528-304 (26^th Season)
·      Record at Duquesne: 115-95 (7^th Season)

Series Information
·      Series Record: Duquesne leads 2-0
·      Last Meeting: Duquesne won 69-47, 12/28/1953
·      H/A/N: 0-0/0-1/0-1

BYU GAME NOTES

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