Duquesne Takes On VCU in A-10 Championship Game

NEW YORK — Duquesne prepares itself for one of the biggest games in program history, as they take on VCU in the A-10 Championship game Sunday afternoon at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Duquesne Outlook

Duquesne started conference play the worst way they could, losing five straight games and finding themselves 9-8 overall and the bottom of the A-10.

They soon turned it around and had a fantastic ending to the regular season, winning 11 of their past 14 games overall, 10 of their last 13 A-10 games and six of their last seven contests to finish 20-11 overall and 10-8 in conference play.

The Dukes got great production from their senior guards, Dae Dae Grant and Jimmy Clark III, who both earned All-Conference Second Team honors for their play this season. Clark also earned All-Defensive Team honors for the second consecutive season himself.

Grant, aside from missing a few games due to a concussion, excelled for the Dukes scoring, averaging 16.7 points per game, sixth best in the A-10. Clark averaged 15.1 points per game himself, while also leading the Dukes with 3.8 assists per game and the conference with 78 steals, 2.3 per game.

Other players that stepped up their game include guards in first-year/walk-on Jake DiMichele and Kareem Rozier, as well as forwards in sophomore David Dixon, senior Tre Williams and graduate students in Dusan Mahorcic and Fousseyni Drame.

The improved form and great play down the stretch led them to back-to-back seasons of 20 wins for the first time in 50 years, and more importantly, the No. 6 seed in the A-10 Tournament, earning themselves a First Round bye.

Dukes at the A-10 Tournament

Duquesne handled No. 14 Saint Louis in the Second Round Wednesday night, 83-73, to move onto the Quarterfinals against No. 3 Dayton.

The Dukes took an early 12-2 lead, but the Billikens made a comeback to keep it close, 43-39 at halftime. The Dukes started the second half much like the first, with a 14-2 run that gave them a sizable lead. The Billikens tried to get back into the game, but never really threatened, allowing the Dukes to take the victory.

Clark led the way with 20 points, shooting 6-for-13 from the field and 4-for-6 from behind the arc. Grant was just behind Clark with 17 points of his own and led Duquesne with seven assists. Dixon finished in double digits with 13 points on 5-for-8 shooting from the floor and led with six rebounds. Mahorcic also had an efficient game, making all four of his baskets for eight points.

Duquesne also played a clean game, with just five turnovers, compared to Saint Louis, who turned it over 13 times, leading to 17 points for Duquesne.

The Dukes then upset the Flyers in the Quarterfinals Thursday night, 65-57, stunning the college basketball world.

A good first half from Duquesne gave them a 30-28 lead, but Dayton battled back, regaining the lead at 52-48 with 7:48 remaining.

Dixon got a dunk and DiMichele scored a 3-pointer to give the Dukes the lead back. Grant would make two free throws and then hit a big 3-pointer to put the Dukes up six points with four minutes remaining, as the Flyers struggled offensively.

DiMichele would score one more layup before Clark ended the game with a huge 3-pointer to give Duquesne the win.

This made it the first time the Dukes have made it to the Semifinals since 2009, when they defeated the Flyers to make the Championship game. It was also the first win over a ranked team since 2014, when they defeated the Billikens at home.

Duquesne then faced off against rival St. Bonaventure in the Semifinals Saturday afternoon.

The Dukes took the lead early on against the Bonnies in the first half and never relinquished it, holding on for the 70-60 victory to make it to the A-10 Championship game.

Grant and Clark had excellent games in the win for Duquesne. Grant shot 10-for-15 from the field and 6-for-9 from 3-point range for a team-high 27 points. Clark shot 8-for-15 from the field overall and 7-for-10 from the floor for 18 points, while also making six assists and three steals in the win.

Like the semifinals appearance, this is the first time the Dukes have made the A-10 final since 2009, when they lost to the Temple Owls, 69-64.

Duquesne vs. VCU History

VCU leads the all-time series 8-3 over Duquesne since they joined the Atlantic-10 conference prior to the 2012-13 season.

Despite the lop-sided affair, the Dukes have won three out of the past four meetings, after the Rams put together seven consecutive victories from 2013-19. The Dukes won 80-77 in overtime in March 2020 and 79-70 last season in January 2023, as well as this season, 69-59 on March 5.

Grant led the Dukes in that victory with 26 points, shooting 8-for-17 from the field, 5-for-11 from 3-point range and a perfect 5-for-5 from the foul line. DiMichele was the only other player to score in double-digits, with 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting.

This will serve as the first matchup between the two programs in the A-10 Tournament.

VCU Outlook

VCU started out A-10 play with two losses at home to St. Bonaventure and George Washington, but picked it up with winning streaks of four games and five games in a stretch of nine wins out of 10 to improve to 9-3 by mid-February. During that time, they picked up wins against the top three teams in the conference in Loyola Chicago on Jan. 23, in-city rival Richmond on Feb. 3 and then ranked No. 18 Dayton on Feb. 9, all at home.

They then dropped four of their final six games, with road losses to UMass on Feb. 20, Richmond on March 2 and then ranked No. 25 Dayton on March 8 to close out the regular season. The loss to Duquesne was also a part of this stretch, which dropped VCU out of a double-bye and into fifth place heading into the A-10 Tournament.

Despite the poor end to the seasons, the Rams are playing their best basketball at the right time.

They defeated Fordham back on Wednesday in the Second Round 69-62, winning late on some good foul shooting. They then got revenge on UMass, dominating them in the first half for a 73-59 victory in the Quarterfinals on Thursday.

VCU then held on for a great win over Saint Joseph’s Saturday afternoon, 66-60, to make it to the Final on Sunday where they’ll face Duquesne.

The Rams went into the transfer portal this offseason and while it took a while for everyone to benefit the team on the court, it’s all coming together at the right time.

The program hired Ryan Odom as their new head coach starting this season. Odom came from Utah State and brought two talented players with him in senior guard Max Shulga and graduate student forward Sean Bairstow.

Shulga played exceptional for the Rams in their win over the Hawks. He shot 10-for-11 from the field and 3-for-4 from 3-point range and made two free throws for 25 points in the victory.

The Ukrainian also earned All-Conference First Team honors, as he excelled in a number of different areas on the court. He shot 43.9% from behind the arc and averaged 2.5 3-pointers per game, fourth and seventh best in conference play, respectively. Shulga also averaged 14.4 points and 3.3 assists per game respectively, had a 1.8 assist-to-turnover ratio and shot 84.0% from the foul line.

Bairstow suffered a Jones fracture in his right foot during practice in mid-October, forcing him to miss the first 11 games of the season and not play until late December. The Australian has served as one of the best players on the team since his return, leading with 4.4 assists per game to lead the team and also had a 2.2 assist/turnover ratio, fourth and ranked tied for eighth best in conference play, respectively.

Senior guard Joe Bamisile didn’t make his appearance until late December, but unlike Bairstow, his had to deal with a transfer issue. Coming back home to Virginia for his fourth school in four years, (Virginia Tech, George Washington, Oklahoma), the NCAA chose not to award him a waiver to play, after doing so when he went from GW to Oklahoma.

He eventually came back after missing the first 10 games, thanks to a ruling that stopped the NCAA’s year in-residency requirement. Bamisile is second on the team scoring 13.7 points per game in A-10 play and excelled from behind the arc, making 2.6 3-pointers per game and shooting 39.8% from deep, ranked tied for fourth best and No. 16 in A-10 play, respectively.

Sophomore forward Toibu “Tobi” Lawal is a force defensively for the Rams, grabbing  5.9 rebounds and making 0.9 blocks per game.

One important part of the offensive game plan for VCU is allowing senior guard Zeb Jackson to create opportunities for his teammates. He finished second in A-10 play with a 2.8 assist/turnover ratio and second on the team with 3.0 assists per game.

Some other players to watch out for include Cal graduate transfer forward Kuany Kuany, who ranks first in A-10 play shooting 52.9% from 3-point range, as well as sophomore center Christian Fermin, who is ranks tied for 10th in the conference with 1.2 blocks per game.

Keys to Victory for Duquesne

Handling Shulga, who didn’t play in their previous matchup, is crucial for the Dukes if they want to win this game.

This game also means a great deal to Clark, who spent his first two seasons with the Rams, before transferring out due to the school suspending him for an undisclosed issue.

His scoring and defense make him a difficult player to stop for any opponent and he has more motivation in this game than the previous two against VCU.

Odds

Duquesne comes into this game as an underdog, as both ESPNBet and FanDuel have them as +1.5 underdogs against VCU.

How to Watch/Tip-Off

Duquesne will battle VCU at 1:00 p.m. on CBS for a national audience.