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    Duquesne Dukes

    Dancing Dukes Shocking Run: A Recap of Duquesne’s Historic Atlantic 10 Tournament Championship

    Alfred EzmanBy No Comments4 Mins Read
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    March Madness usually creates some of the best stories in sports that revolve around an underdog team’s climb to the mountain top. This is the case with the Duquesne Dukes who recently won the Atlantic 10 tournament in Brooklyn, New York. It is their first tournament title since 1977 when the first Atlantic 10 tournament took place.

    Duquesne's Kareem Rozier (32) celebrates with Jimmy Clark III, center, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against VCU in the championship of the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament on Sunday, March 17, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Peter K. Afriyie)
    Duquesne’s Kareem Rozier (32) celebrates with Jimmy Clark III, center, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against VCU in the championship of the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament on Sunday, March 17, 2024, in New York. Mandatory Credit: AP Photo Peter K. Afriyie

    Thus, Duquesne finds itself in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1977 and it is the sixth time in program history they have made the big dance. The Dukes made the Final Four in two tournaments during the 1939-40 and 1951-52 seasons.

    However, the run to the 2024 NCAA tournament during the A-10 tournament was nothing short of extraordinary.

    Duquesne’s historic Atlantic 10 championship was an extension of just how hot they were to end the season. 

    Heading into the Atlantic 10 tournament, the Dukes were riding a four-game winning streak with wins over La Salle, George Mason, VCU, and George Washington. This was key since it pushed Duquesne’s conference record to above .500 at 10-8. It ultimately played a big factor in them getting a conference tournament bye to the second round as well.

    Second Round: Duquesne Dukes v. Saint Louis Billikens

    The Saint Louis Billikens defeated Rhode Island in the first round of the tournament and that set up a matchup between them and Duquesne in the second round. The Dukes responded with a lights out shooting performance in the game shooting 50% from the field and 45% from three-point land as a team. They defeated Saint Louis 83-73. It was the most points they put up in a game since February 3rd when the Dukes beat Rhode Island and scored 85 points.

    Quarterfinal Round: Duquesne Dukes v. Dayton Flyers

    This set up a date with the Dayton Flyers in the quarterfinal who had been the top team in the Atlantic 10 for the majority of the season. The Dukes lost the two prior matchups to Dayton during the regular season. But, the Dukes were able to keep Dayton from shooting efficiently which had been their strength all season. They shot 32% from the field compared to Duquesne’s 42% from the floor. It was not the greatest shooting outing by the Dukes, but they were able to get a 65-57 win.

    It was the first time the Flyers were held to under 60 points since February 9th.  The Duquense defense, which ranks 28th in KenPom metrics, came through big.

    Semifinal Round: Duquesne Dukes v. St. Bonaventure Bonnies 

    St. Bonaventure was riding a similar run to the Dukes with a second round win followed followed by an upset victory over Loyola Chicago in the quarterfinal round. This set up the two Cinderellas to meet for a shot to play for the tournament title.

    It was once again the defense that stepped up for Duquesne as they held the Bonnies to 40% shooting from the field and 25% from three-point range. They also scored 18 points off of the 11 turnovers they forced against St. Bonaventure as they cruised to a 70-60 victory, resulting in a 3-0 season sweep for the Dukes against the Bonnies.

    Championship Game: Duquesne Dukes v. VCU Rams

    The Dukes made their first conference tournament title game since 2009 and were set to face off against VCU. Defense had been the name of the game during their big, late-round tournament wins and it was the case again against the Rams.

    VCU got held to just 51 points in a 57-51 win for Duquesne. It was the fewest amount of points in a game they have scored all season. The Dukes also held the Rams’ shooting numbers down like in their two previous games as VCU shot 36% from the field and 20% from three. They heavily outrebounded them and forced 16 turnovers during the game.

    What’s Next

    Duquesne had a magical run to the A-10 championship and now is set to play in March Madness as an eleven seed in the East region. Their first round matchup is against the six seed BYU Cougars on Thursday, March 21st with tip-off at approximately 12:40 p.m. E.T. inside of the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska. If Duquesne would go on to win, they would face the winner of the Illinois-Morehead State matchup in the second round.

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    Aspiring sports journalist with prior collegiate sports coverage of the Tennessee Volunteers. Also has many professional sports writing beats such as the Buffalo Bills, Tampa Bay Rays, and Orlando Magic

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