Duquesne Basketball

Duquesne Basketball Makes it Back-to-Back 20-Win Seasons for First Time in 50 Years

Published

2 months ago

March 9, 2024

Duquesne basketball defeated George Washington on Saturday to finish the regular season with 20 wins for the first time in 50 years.

The Dukes last achieved the feat back in the early 1970s in the 1970-71 and 1971-72 seasons. They had a 21-4 record in 1970-71, winning 12 out of 13 games at home and eight of 10 games on the road.

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The Dukes also made the NCAA Tournament, where they lost a close battle, 70-65, to in-state foe Penn in the Quarterfinals of the Midwest Bracket. They went 20-4 the following season, 1971-72, but didn’t make the NCAA Tournament. The Dukes had a 16-1 record at home, tied for the most wins at home in a season in program history, but had a 3-4 record on the road.

Duquesne has struggled to reach that success in the past 50 years, with only three seasons from 1972-2022 that they had 20 wins. This includes include a 20-10 record in the 1980-81 season, the last season Duquesne won a conference regular season title, which was the Eastern Athletic Association.

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The other seasons include 2008-09, where the Dukes finished 21-13 overall, and 2019-20, when the Dukes won their first 10 games, en route to a 21-9 record in head coach Keith Dambrot’s third season at the helm.

Duquesne finishes the 2023-24 regular season with a 20-11 overall record, 10-8 in A-10 play and 13-4 at home. After a 9-8 start, which saw them lose their first five A-10 games, Duquesne has won 11 of their past 14 games overall, 10 out of their past 13 games in A-10 play and six out of their past seven games. They finished the season prior 20-13 overall and 16-4 at home, tying the record for most wins at home ian program history.

The Dukes hold the No. 6 overall seed and they earn a First Round-bye in the A-10 Tournament for the second straight season, which takes place starting next Tuesday, March 12 through March 17 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.