Last time Duquesne made March Madness: Dukes end 47-year NCAA Tournament drought after A-10 tournament win

2024-03-21
3 min read
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March Madness reigned in the 2024 edition of the A-10 Tournament. The top four seeds in the conference all lost in the quarterfinals, opening the door for a bid stealer among the four squads left standing.

Ultimately, Duquense outdueled their counterparts and captured the A-10 Tournament title in a thrilling 57-51 victory over VCU. That sent the Dukes dancing for the first time in nearly 50 years.

Here's what to know about Duquesne's NCAA Tournament history as the team prepares for its biggest postseason game since the Carter Administration.

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Last time Duquesne made March Madness

Duquense last made it into the NCAA Tournament in 1977 before beating VCU in the 2024 A-10 championship game. The Dukes went one-and-done in that tournament, losing 73-66 to VMI in the first round of the then-32-team tournament.

Duquesne went through 10 different head coaches in their efforts to get back to the NCAA Tournament before Keith Dambrot brought them to the promised land. Dambrot is in his seventh season coaching the Dukes and has posted 20-plus wins in three of those campaigns.

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Duquesne's NCAA Tournament history

The Dukes have now made the NCAA Tournament on six occasions. The first came in 1940. The 2024 team is the first to make the NCAA Tournament in 47 years.

The Dukes didn't just make the tournament in 1940 — they made it to the Final Four. They haven't reached that level since.

Below is a look at Duquesne's NCAA Tournament history:

Year Reached
1940 Final Four
1952 Elite Eight
1969 Sweet 16
1971 First round
1977 First round
2024 TBD

Where is Duquesne University located?

Duquesne is located in Pittsburgh, Pa. It opened in October 1878 and was the first Catholic university in the state of Pennsylvania. Joseph Strub, a missionary priest with the Congregation of the Holy Ghost, founded the school.

Duquesne has an enrollment of 9,344 total students, and its school colors are red and blue.

Duquesne pronounciation

Duquesne is pronounced "dew-KAYN," according to the English pronunciation spelling of the word. That makes it easy to trip over the name, as it's spelled differently than it's pronounced.

The "s" in Duquesne is notably silent. That often confuses basketball fans when pronouncing and spelling the name, as the "s" comes before the "n" in the word.