Emotions were high heading into Omaha, Nebraska as the Duquesne Dukes were appearing in their first NCAA Tournament since 1977, along with head coach Keith Dambrot announcing that he will retire following the season.
Well, as the 11th-seeded team in the East Region, the Dukes downed No. 6 BYU, 71-67, and it came at the expense of millions of March Madness brackets.
Out of 22 million brackets according to the ESPN men’s tournament challenge, 73.4 percent of people picked the Cougars to take care of the Dukes.
However, Dae Dae Grant’s 19 points and the Dukes’ 46.4 percent shooting from the floor played spoiler as the Dukes advance to the Round of 32 take on the winners of No. 3 Illinois and No. 14 Morehead State.
It comes as the first big upset of the day as the Dukes win their first NCAA Tournament game since 1969. The Dukes were the least-picked 11-seed in this year’s tournament at 24.6 percent.
Back in Pittsburgh with Duquesne University hosting games at PPG Paints Arena, the local faithful made it loud after the Dukes clinched the victory.
More must-reads: