Duquesne (25-12 Overall | 10-8 Atlantic 10)
2024 Atlantic 10 Champions | 2024 NCAA Championship Second Round
 
Season In Review | Record Book | Media Center | TV/Radio Spotter Chart
 
Opening Tip
 
- Bolstered by four wins in five days in Brooklyn, N.Y., at the Barclays Center, the Duquesne University men's basketball team claimed its first Atlantic 10 Championship and automatic bid to the NCAA Championship since 1977.
 
- The Dukes finished with an overall record of 25-12 (.676) in 2023-24, including a mark of 10-8 (.556) in the Atlantic 10. As the No. 6 seed in the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship, the Dukes defeated Saint Louis, #24 Dayton, St. Bonaventure and VCU en route to the tournament crown.
 
- Duquesne earned an 11 seed in the East Region of the 2024 NCAA Championship and in the first round claimed a 71-67 triumph over No. 6 seed BYU in Omaha, Neb., at CHI Health Center Arena to claim its first NCAA Tournament victory since 1969.
 
- The 25 wins for the Dukes are the most since the 1953-54 team finished with an overall mark of 26-3 (.897), which established a program record for victories.
 
- Head coach Keith Dambrot, who announced his retirement in the wake of Duquesne's victory over VCU in the Atlantic 10 Championship, concluded his career with an overall record of 529-305 (.634), including 116-96 (.547) in seven years leading the Dukes.
 
- Senior guards Dae Dae Grant and Jimmy Clark III were each named to the 2024 All-Atlantic 10 Second Team, while Clark III was tabbed to the 2024 All-Atlantic 10 Defensive Team.
 
- Grant led Duquesne in scoring at 16.4 points per game and was named the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship Most Outstanding Player after averaging 16.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists in four games while shooting 42.6 percent (23-for-54) from the field, including 41.4 percent (12-for-29) from beyond the arc.
 
- Clark III contributed averages of 15.0 points and 3.8 assists during the 2023-24 campaign while also pacing the Atlantic 10 in steals for the second consecutive year with an average of 2.4 per contest.
 
- Duquesne named Dru Joyce III the 18th head coach in the 108-year history of the program March 28, 2024, and at the Duquesne Celebration of Basketball April 25, 2024, at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse, the 2023-24 Dukes were honored by being inducted in the DU Merle Gilliand Athletics Hall of Fame along with Dambrot, Clark III and Grant.
 
- The 2023-24 season marked the 108th year of Duquesne basketball. The Dukes started play in 1913-14 (DU did not field a team in 1944-45-46 due to World War II).
 
- The 2023-24 season marked the 16th time in program history Duquesne recorded at least 20 victories as well as the first time notching back-to-back seasons with at least 20 wins since 1971 and 1972.
 
- Guard Dae Dae Grant became the first Duquesne student-athlete to open the season with back-to-back 20-point performances since Wayne Smith (1998-2002) in 2000-01. In wins over North Carolina A&T and UNC Wilmington, Smith paced the Dukes with 28 points in each contest, shooting 20-for-35 (.571) from the floor in the two games.
 
- Four Dukes reached the 1,000-point plateau during the 2023-24 season, including forwards Fousseyni Drame and Tre Williams as well as guards Jimmy Clark III and Dae Dae Grant. Of the four, Grant is the only one to score 1,000 points at Duquesne.
 
- Guard Dae Dae Grant became the 40th member of the Duquesne 1,000-Point Club during the 2023-24 season. He concluded his career by scoring 1,070 points in two seasons with the Dukes after scoring 1,171 points in three seasons at Miami, Ohio, before transferring to the Bluff. Grant ranks 35th all-time at Duquesne in scoring.
 
- During Duquesne's nine-game winning streak that culminated with the program's first win in the NCAA Tournament since 1969, the Dukes allowed an average of just 60.7 points per game. Opponents shot just 40.1 percent (188-for-469) from the field during that stretch, including 29.5 percent (59-for-200) from beyond the arc.
 
- The only opponent to reach the 70-point plateau during Duquesne's season-high nine-game winning streak was Saint Louis in the second round of the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship in Brooklyn, N.Y., at the Barclays Center. The Dukes prevailed, 83-73, by shooting 50.8 percent (31-for-61) from the field, including 45.5 percent (10-for-21) from beyond the arc.
 
- Duquesne finished 8-1 (.889) during the 2023-24 season when hitting at least 10 three-pointers in a game. The Dukes set season highs in three-point field goals (14) and three-point field goal percentage (.519) in an 85-71 victory at Rhode Island.

- The Duquesne University Department of Athletics recently announced a 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship Trophy Tour this summer, which includes alumni and fan happy hours at various locations in the Pittsburgh region. In addition, deposits for season tickets for the 2024-25 season are now being accepted. Fans wishing to renew, upgrade or purchase season tickets for the first time can use the following link to lock in your seats for next year. 
 
Start Me Up – Duquesne featured the same starting five for each of its first 11 games of the 2023-24 season but ended up using 10 different starting lineups in the final 26 games of the year. A total of 11 different Dukes earned a start throughout the course of the season and eight different players started at least 10 contests. The only member of the Dukes to start all 37 games in 2023-24 was senior guard Jimmy Clark III, who concluded his career as Duquesne's active leader for consecutive games played (70) and starting assignments (55). During each of the four games of the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship as well as each of Duquesne's two games in the NCAA Tournament, the starting lineup featured three 1,000-point scorers. The starting five for the Dukes in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament against No. 3 seed Illinois walked off the court after the game with combined career totals of 5,061 points, 2,057 rebounds, 856 assists and 536 steals.    
 
Defense Wins Championships – Thanks to a 57-51 win over VCU in the title game of the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship, Duquesne finished with a record of 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.
 
Dynamic Duo – Senior guards Dae Dae Grant and Jimmy Clark III conclude their career at Duquesne as one of the best backcourt tandems in program history after helping lead the Dukes to the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship crown and automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Grant led Duquesne in scoring with 559 points in 34 games (16.4 ppg), just four points ahead of Clark III, who scored 555 points in 37 contests (15.0 ppg). Combined, the 1,114 points scored by Grant and Clark III rank third among scoring tandems in program history. During the 2015-16 season, guards Derrick Colter (609) and Micah Mason (608) set a school record with 1,217 points in 34 games. That eclipsed the school record that was held by Mark Stevenson (788) and Brian Anselmino (378), who combined for 1,166 points in 29 contests during the 1989-90 campaign. In two seasons together on the Bluff, Grant (1,070) and Clark III (959) combined to score 2,029 points while also amassing totals of 521 rebounds, 389 assists, 295 three-pointers and 234 steals. 
 
Pittsburgh Stealers – Duquesne matched a season high for the sixth time in 2023-24 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 finished a perfect 6-0 when recording 12 steals in a game during the 2023-24 season and finished 10-1 (.909) during the year when recording at least 10 thefts in a contest. As a team, the Dukes ranked third in the Atlantic 10 in steals per game (7.49). Individually, Clark III tied for ninth in NCAA Division I in steals per game (2.35) during the 2023-24 season with Jasper Field of Fairfield. His career average, meanwhile, of 1.92 per contest (198 in 103 games) ranked 18th among active NCAA Division I players at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season. Clark III finished with 163 steals in two seasons on the Bluff, which ranks 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 prior to their win over the Flyers 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 concluded his career on the Bluff with 177 three-pointers in two seasons at Duquesne, which ranks seventh all-time and the is most by a student-athlete to play just two seasons with the Dukes.
 
Did You Know? The Dukes finished 12-0 during the 2023-24 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 finished 75-7 (.915) when hitting the 70-point plateau first.          
 
30/30/30 – Senior 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 during the 2023-24 campaign. 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 became 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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