By Brenda June Temple

No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 11 Duquesne, 8:40 p.m. ET, TNT

3 23 2024

GAME 37
2024 NCAA Division I Championship
#11 DUQUESNE (25-11) vs #3 ILLINOIS (27-8)
Sat., March 23, 2024 • 7:40 pm (CT) • Omaha, Neb. • CHI Health Center Arena (17,560)

TV: TNT with Tom McCarthy, Deb Antonelli, Avery Johnson & AJ Ross
Radio: 970 AM / The Varsity Network App with Ray Goss (’58) & Tim Benz

OPENING TIP

• Eleventh-seeded Duquesne extended its win streak to nine with a 71-67 win over #6 seed BYU on Thursday. The win was DU’s first in NCAA Tournament play since a 75-72 win over St. John’s in the consolation game of the 1969 East Regional at College Park, Md. The Dukes, who are making the program’s first NCAA appearance since 1977, are looking to post two tournament wins for the first time since ’69 (the Dukes opened that tournament with a 74-52 win over Saint Joseph’s before falling to North Carolina in the East Semifinal (79-78). Duquesne has never won back-to-back NCAA Tournament games.
• Senior guard Dae Dae Grant led Duquesne with 19 points in Thursday’s win. Senior guard Jimmy Clark III scored nine of his 11 points in the final 4:01 vs. BYU. Freshman Jakub Necas posted career highs in points (12), rebounds (6) and blocks (3) in 30 minutes of the bench. Duquesne, which led for 38:50, held the Cougars 14.8 points below their season scoring average entering the game (81.8).  DU went 6-of-6 from the line in the final :17 to seal the win.

25 WINS

• Duquesne (25-11) enters Saturday’s game needing one win to tie the school record set in 1954 (26-3). Duquesne head coach Keith Dambrot‘s father, Sid, was a senior guard for the 1954 team, which reached No. 1 in the AP poll for two weeks in late February following a 22-0 start.

THE SERIES VS. ILLINOIS

• Series Record – Illinois leads, 2-1
• At Pittsburgh, Pa. – Never Met
• At Champaign, Ill. – Illinois leads, 1-0
• Neutral Site – Tied 1-1

MORE ON THE MATCHUP 

• This is the fourth meeting between the Dukes and Illini with the last coming on Dec. 9, 1988 (the No. 7 (AP) Illini defeated DU 112-81 in Champaign, Ill.) … this is the second NCAA Tournament meeting between the two, with Illinois taking a 74-68 decision on Mar. 22, 1952 in the East Regional Final at Chicago Stadium … Jim Tucker scored a game-high 29 points for the No. 4 (AP) Dukes … freshman Dick Ricketts added 22 points for DU.

VS. THE BIG TEN

• Duquesne is 6-20 all time vs. the Big Ten, with the last meeting coming on Dec. 19, 2018 (a 73-67 loss at PPG Paints Arena) … DU is 2-4 vs. Big Ten teams at neutral sites … Keith Dambrot is 1-8 all-time vs. the Big Ten with the win coming against Penn State on Nov. 18, 2012 at the Puerto Rico Tipoff (85-60) when Dambrot was at Akron … Dambrot is 0-1 vs. the Big Ten at Duquesne (the 2018 game vs. Penn State listed above).

VS. RANKED TEAMS

• Illinois, which enters Saturday’s game ranked #10 in the current AP poll is
• Duquesne’s third game vs. a ranked opponent this year. DU lost at #16 (AP) Dayton on Feb. 13 (59-75) and came back to defeat the #24 Flyers, 65-57 on Mar. 14. The win over Dayton in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship in Brooklyn, N.Y. snapped an eight-game losing streak against ranked opponents. DU’s previous win over a ranked foe was on Feb. 27, 2014, at #10 Saint Louis (71-64). The victory was the first over a nationally ranked opponent on a neutral court since DU’s last NCAA Tournament win entering 2024 (75-72 over #8 St. John’s in College Park, Md. in the NCAA East Regional consolation game on March 15, 1969). It also marked Keith Dambrot‘s first win over a ranked team in 22 tries as a head coach.

KEITH DAMBROT VS. RANKED TEAMS

• Duquesne head coach Keith Dambrot, who faced 13 ranked teams in his 13 seasons at Akron, has played a total of 22 games vs. ranked opponents as a Division I head coach. Of the 22 ranked teams faced (not counting Dayton in 2020), all but two went on to that year’s NCAA tournament where 15 of the 16 won at least one game. Dambrot has faced a ranked team on his home court just two times (a 73-71 loss to #25 (AP) Nevada on Dec. 22, 2006 while at Akron and a 73-69 loss to #7 (AP) Dayton at PPG Paints Arena on Jan. 29, 2020). The Nevada defeat is one of two two-point losses to a ranked opponent, the other coming on Jan. 2, 2008 by an 83-81 score in double overtime at Dayton. DU dropped a 61-58 decision on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer at #24 (AP) Rhode Island on Jan. 27, 2018 in Dambrot’s first game vs. a ranked team at Duquesne. Of Dambrot’s 22 career games vs. ranked teams, 16 have come on the road, two have come in the NCAA tournament and two at a neutral site in the regular season.

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 Illinois game with 177 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 83 three-pointers. Grant and Micah Mason (2013-16) are the only two players in school history to drain at least 80 three-pointers in a season on two occasions.

500-500 MEN

• Senior guards Dae Dae Grant (552 points) and Jimmy Clark III (541) are just the third tandem in school history to score 500 points each joining Dick Ricketts (523) and Sihugo Green (551) in 1955 and Derrick Colter (609) and Micah Mason (608) in 2016.

DID YOU KNOW?

• The Dukes are 12-0 this season when first to reach 70 points against an opponent and have won 31 consecutive games when turning the trick. In seven seasons under head coach Keith Dambrot, Duquesne is 75-7 (.915) when hitting the 70-point plateau first.

FOLLOW THE DUKES
For the latest news and information on Duquesne men’s basketball, follow the Dukes on Twitter (X) and Instagram.

COURTESY DUQUESNE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

3 ILLINOIS (27-8, 14-6) at 2024 NCAA Tournament
Tournament Central	NCAA March Madness Live | Illinois Tournament Central
Second Round	vs. No. 11 seed Duquesne
Date | Time	Saturday, March 23, 2024 | 7:40 p.m. CT
Location	Omaha, Neb. | CHI Health Center Omaha
Tickets	SeatGeek
Broadcast	TNT (Tom McCarthy, Debbie Antonelli, Avery Johnson, & AJ Ross)
Live Stream	NCAA March Madness Live | NCAA March Madness App
Radio	Busey Bank Illini Sports Network | Varsity Network App | SiriusXM 209 or 202, SXM App 965
Live Stats	NCAA March Madness Live
Printable Notes	Illinois | Duquesne
Pregame Press Conference	Video | Transcript
2023-24 Stats	Illinois | Duquesne | Big Ten | NCAA
Record Book	Illinois | Duquesne | Big Ten | NCAA
Shop	Online Store | Auctions
Social Media	@IlliniMBB  | #Illini  | @IlliniMBB  | Facebook  | YouTube

HEAD COACH BRAD UNDERWOOD

Career Record: 250-114 (.687), 11th year
At Illinois: 141-87 (.618), 7th year
Big Ten: 80-58 (.580)
NCAA Tournament Career: 5-7 (eighth appearance)
NCAA Tournament at Illinois: 3-3 (fourth appearance)

NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY

Appearances / Streak: 34th / 4
Record: 43-34 (.558)
Final Four Appearances: 5 / 2005

SECOND ROUND OPPONENT – NO. 11 SEED DUQUESNE

Series Record: Illinois leads, 2-1
Last Meeting: #7 Illinois 112, Duquesne 81 (12/9/1988 at Champaign)
Record in the NCAA Tournament: Illinois leads, 1-0
Last NCAA Tournament Meeting: #2 Illinois 74, #4 Duquesne 68  (1952 East Regional Final at Chicago)
Underwood vs. Duquesne: First meeting

FIGHTING ILLINI UNDER HEAD COACH BRAD UNDERWOOD

• Big Ten’s winningest team in league play over last five seasons (.690)
• 69 B1G wins from 2019-20 through 2023-24 are most in school history over five-year stretch
• Four straight NCAA Tournament appearances (fifth precluded by COVID-19 cancelation in 2020)
• NCAA Tournament wins three of the last four years
• One of only five schools with five straight 20-win regular seasons
• Three Big Ten Championships in last four years
• Five straight top-five B1G finishes, including top-two finishes three of the last four years
• Three consensus All-Americans
• Seven first-team All-Big Ten selections
• 2024 B1G Tournament Champions
• 2022 B1G Champions
• Led B1G in wins in 2021
• 2021 B1G Tournament Champions
• 2021 NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed (fourth in school history)

FIGHTING ILLINI NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTES

• Following an 85-69 victory over Morehead State in the first round, No. 3 seed Illinois advances to the NCAA Tournament Second Round and will face No. 11 seed Duquesne on Saturday.
• Illinois is aiming to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2005, when it went on to play in the national championship game.
• Illinois is making its 34th all-time appearance in the NCAA?Tournament, and fourth straight.
• Illinois ranks fifth among Big Ten teams and 19th among all schools for most NCAA Tournament appearances.
• Illinois is one of only three Big Ten teams – and one of just 14 teams nationally – to earn a bid in each of the last four NCAA Tournaments.
• Illinois’ active streak of four straight NCAA Tournament appearances is its longest since participating eight years in a row from 2000 through 2007.
• Illinois has compiled a 43-34 (.558) record all-time in NCAA?Tournament games.
• Illinois’ 43 NCAA Tournament wins ranks tied for 22nd among all schools.
• Illinois’ 43 NCAA Tournament wins are third-most among teams yet to win a national championship, trailing Gonzaga (45) and Purdue (44), and tied with Oklahoma (43).
• Since 1975, when the field was increased to 32 teams, Illinois has advanced to the Sweet 16 eight times, the Elite Eight four times, and the Final Four twice.
• Illinois has made five appearances in the NCAA Final Four, finishing as the national runner-up in 2005, placing third in 1949, 1951 and 1952, and tying for third in 1989.
• Illinois’ five Final Four appearances are second-most among teams yet to win a national title, trailing only Houston (6), and tied with Oklahoma.
• Head Coach Brad Underwood has brought Fighting Illini Basketball back to being a national contender. His rebuild of the program brought success in year three of his tenure, leading the Illini to a top-25 finish and what would have been an NCAA Tournament appearance before the 2020 postseason was canceled due to COVID-19. He directed Illinois to a Big Ten Tournament title and #1 seed in 2021, as Illinois played in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013. Underwood guided the Illini to a Big Ten Championship and #4 seed in 2022, advancing to the Round of 32 for the second straight season. In 2023, Underwood guided the Illini back to the NCAA tournament for a third straight season. He extended that streak to four straight after leading the Illini to the 2024 Big Ten Tournament Championship. Underwood has now led Illinois to the NCAA Round of 32 for a third time in the last four years.
• With this year’s appearance, Underwood is the third coach in school history to lead Illinois to at least four straight NCAA Tournaments, joining Lou Henson (eight straight from 1983-90) and Bruce Weber (four in a row from 2004-07).
• Underwood is making his eighth overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament with his third program in 11 seasons as a Div. I head coach. He previously led Stephen F. Austin to three consecutive automatic bids from 2014-2016, advancing to the Round of 32 in 2014 and 2016. He then took Oklahoma State to the Tournament in his lone season in Stillwater in 2017. Underwood owns a 5-7 career record in the NCAA Tournament.
• Illinois is a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in school history. Following the win over Morehead State, the Illini hold an all-time record of 4-3 as a #3 seed
  • 1985 First Round (Atlanta, Ga.) – #3 Illinois 76, #14 Northeastern 57
  • 1985 Second Round (Atlanta, Ga.) – #3 Illinois 74, #6 Georgia 58
  • 1985 Regional Semifinal (Providence, R.I.) – #2 Georgia Tech 61, #3 Illinois 53
  • 1987 First Round (Birmingham, Ala.) – #14 Austin Peay 68, #3 Illinois 67
  • 1988 First Round (Cincinnati, Ohio) – #3 Illinois 81, #14 Texas-San Antonio 72
  • 1988 Second Round (Cincinnati, Ohio) – #6 Villanova 66, #3 Illinois 63
  • 2024 First Round (Omaha, Neb.) – #3 Illinois 85, #14 Morehead State 69
• Illinois is now 32-16 as a higher (better) seed in the NCAA Tournament.
• Illinois is now 25-9 when playing its opening game of the NCAA Tournament and has won its first game in five of its last six Tournaments (2011, 2013, 2021, 2022 & 2024).
• Illinois improved to 3-2 against the No. 14 seed in the NCAA Tournament:
  • 1985 First Round (Atlanta, Ga.) – #3 Illinois 76, #14 Northeastern 57
  • 1987 First Round (Birmingham, Ala.) – #14 Austin Peay 68, #3 Illinois 67
  • 1988 First Round (Cincinnati, Ohio) – #3 Illinois 81, #14 Texas-San Antonio 72
  • 1997 Second Round (Charlotte, N.C.) – #14 Tennessee-Chattanooga 75, #6 Illinois 63
  • 2024 First Round (Omaha, Neb.) – #3 Illinois 85, #14 Morehead State 69
• Illinois is 2-1 all-time against Saturday’s second-round opponent, Duquesne:
  • #11 Duquesne (2-1)
    • 3-22-1952 – W, 74-68 – Chicago, Ill. (NCAA East Regional Final)
    • 12-29-1973 – L, 83-85 – New York City, N.Y.
    • 12-9-1988 – W, 112-81 – Champaign, Ill.
• The Illini defeated Duquesne in the 1952 East NCAA Regional Final, earning a spot in the Final Four in Seattle.
• Illinois is 2-0 all-time against the No. 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament:
  • 1993 First Round (Salt Lake City, Utah) – #6 Illinois 75, #11 Long Beach State 72
  • 1997 First Round (Charlotte, N.C.) – #6 Illinois 90, #11 USC 77
• Illinois’ all-time leading scorer in NCAA Tournament play is Dee Brown, who had 179 points in 13 games from 2003-06.
• Illinois’ all-time leading rebounder in NCAA Tournament play is James Augustine, who grabbed 102 boards in 13 games from 2003-06.
• Deron Williams is Illinois’ career assists leader in the NCAA Tournament, with 78 assists in 11 games from 2003-05.
• Frank Williams scored 30 points in a Sweet 16 victory over Kansas in 2001, the first 30-point game by an Illini in the NCAA Tournament. The UI single-game tournament scoring record was eclipsed three years later by Deron Williams’ 31-point performance in a Round of 32 victory over Cincinnati in 2004.

MORE NOTES FROM THURSDAY’S WIN OVER MOREHEAD STATE

• Illinois improves to 27-8 on the season, equaling the third-most wins in program history and the most in 23 years, since the 2000-01 team finished 27-8 during its run to the Elite Eight.
  • 1. 2005 – 37 wins
  • 2. 1989 – 31 wins
  • T3. 2024 – 27 wins
  • T3. 2001 – 27 wins
• Illinois won its fifth straight game, and eighth in its last nine.
• Illinois’ seven blocks broke the program record for most rejections in an NCAA Tournament game. The previous of mark of six was set twice.
• Illinois made 12 three-pointers, tied for third-most in program history in an NCAA Tournament game.
• The Illini dished out 24 assists, also tied for third-most in an NCAA Tournament game in program history.
• Marcus Domask recorded a triple-double with 12 points and game highs of 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
• Domask tallied the 10th triple-double in NCAA Tournament history, joining Murray State’s Ja Morant (2019), Michigan State’s Draymond Green (twice, 2011 and 2012), Kansas’ Cole Aldrich (2009), Marquette’s Dwyane Wade (2003), Utah’s Andre Miller (1998), St. John’s David Cain (1993), LSU’s Shaquille O’Neal (1992), and Michigan’s Gary Grant (1987).
• It was the sixth triple-double in Illinois basketball history, joining Coleman Hawkins (2022), Ayo Dosunmu (twice in 2021), Sergio McClain (2001), and Mark Smith (1979).
• Four of the six triple-doubles in UI history have been in the last four seasons, all during the Brad Underwood era.
• Domask had his third straight game with at least eight assists.
• Terrence Shannon Jr. recorded a team-high 26 points, while adding four assists, two steals and two blocks.
• Shannon broke Illinois’ 58-year-old single-season scoring record (668 points by Don Freeman in 1965-66), finishing the game with 26 points to move him into first with a total of 669 points across 29 games this season.
• Shannon’s 26 points are eighth-most by an Illini in an NCAA Tournament game.
• Shannon scored in double figures for the 39th straight game as an Illini.
• Shannon has now scored 20+ points in 19 games this season, tied for second-most on the program’s all-time single-season list.
• Dain Dainja posted a season-high 21 points and tied his season highs with eight rebounds and two blocks.
• Dainja shot a perfect 9-for-9, setting the field goal percentage record by an Illini in the NCAA Tournament.
• Dainja scored 17 in the second half alone to finish with 21, coming within one point of his career high.
• Coleman Hawkins recorded 10 points, four rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block.
• Hawkins netted double-digit points for the 20th game this season and had at least five assists for the seventh time this season.
• Luke Goode recorded nine points and four rebounds.
• Goode knocked down three 3-pointers, his 11th game with 3+ triples this season.
• Freshman Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn connected on both of his 3-point attempts in the final 5:19 of the first half to finish with six points.

EVERY DAY GUYS EXCLUSIVE:

Read the latest feature stories on the Fighting Illini men’s basketball team.

• March 13: ‘Everybody’s Gonna Remember Me for How I Treated Everybody’: Rodgers Brings Winning Experience, Humble Personality to Illinois
• Feb. 16: Playing the Right Way: Domask Makes Most of Lone Season at Illinois, Impacts Winning in Final Collegiate Campaign
• Jan. 10: ‘I Just Wanted to be Different’: Hawkins’ Legacy Grows in Fourth Year With Program
• Dec. 7: Harmon Takes Long Road to Illinois in Final Year of Eligibility
• Nov. 30: ‘I Owed That Sacrifice to Everybody’: Goode Finds, Establishes Role in Third Season at Illinois
• Oct. 26: ‘Now or Never’: Hawkins, Shannon Gear Up for ‘Last Dance’ at Illinois
• Oct. 19: Every Day Guys: How Three Words Became Engrained in Illinois’ Team Culture, Identity

Complete Illinois Game Notes (PDF)

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