No. 3 Illinois looked solid in its first round game of the 2024 NCAA Tournament and now the Illini will look to avoid being the latest upset victim of No. 11 Duquesne.
The Dukes earned their first NCAA Tournament win since 1969 with a 71-67 victory over No. 6 BYU in the first round.
Illinois advanced with an 85-69 victory over No. 14 seed Morehead State. The Illini shot 60.7% in the second half and outscored the Eagles 46-31 to secure their first NCAA Tournament win in two years.
Marcus Domask earned his first-career triple-double, finishing with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. It was the sixth triple-double in Illinois' program history, the first by an Illini in the NCAA Tournament, and only the 10th overall in NCAA Tournament history.
Dain Dainja scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half while shooting a perfect 9-for-9 from the field. Dainja also grabbed eight rebounds.
It was a solid opening test for the Illini.
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Duquesne played solid defense and made timely shots to knock off the Cougars, who earned an at-large bid.
Dae Dae Grant scored 19 points, including three shots from beyond the arc. Freshman Jakub Necas added a season-high 12 points and six rebounds. Jimmy Clark III had 11 with four assists and four steals.
The Dukes have won nine straight and improved to 25-11 — the most wins since a school record 26 in 1954.
What channel is Illinois vs. Duquesne on today?
- TV channel: TNT
- Live stream: Sling
Tom Mccarthy, Avery Johnson, and Debbie Antonelli will call the action for this game.
Fans looking to stream Illinois vs. Duquesne can watch live on Sling, which will stream every NCAA Tournament game on TNT, TBS and truTV and much more.
Illinois vs. Duquesne start time
- Date: Saturday, March 22
- Time: 8:40 p.m. ET | 7:40 p.m. CT
The NCAA East regional game between Illinois vs. Duquesne is set to tip off at 8:40 p.m. ET from the Omaha, Neb. CHI Health Center.
Illinois' active streak of four straight NCAA Tournament appearances is its longest since participating eight years in a row from 2000 through 2007.
Duquesne's last NCAA Tournament win came in the East Region consolation game at Maryland's Cole Field House, 75-72, over St. John's on March 15, 1969.
Illinois vs. Duquesne tickets
- Tickets: StubHub
Tickets to the 2024 NCAA men’s basketball tournament are still available on StubHub. For a complete seating chart for all of the games, check out the link below.
BUY NOW: Get NCAA Tournament tickets now on StubHub
March Madness schedule 2024
Here is the full schedule for the 2024 NCAA men’s basketball tournament:
| Round | Date |
| Round 1 | March 21-22 |
| Round 2 | March 23-24 |
| Sweet 16 | March 28-29 |
| Elite Eight | March 30-31 |
| Final Four | April 6 |
| National championship | April 8 |