Duquesne Dukes

The Duquesne Dukes men’s basketball program represents the Duquesne University, located in Pittsburgh, PA, and is in the NCAA’s Division I. Wearing red and blue, Duquesne competes in the Atlantic-10 Conference. Their current head coach is Keith Dambrot, who is in his fourth season and has a 71-57 record as coach of the Dukes. Continue for more Duquesne Dukes Stats.

The team plays their home games at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse in Pittsburgh, PA. They finished the 2020 season with a 9-9 overall record and were 7-7 in the Atlantic 10, finishing ninth in the conference. The Dukes were defeated in the Atlantic-10 Conference Tournament quarterfinals, losing to St. Bonaventure, 75-57.

The Dukes entered the Atlantic-10 Conference in the 1982 season after being a member of the Eastern Athletic Association from 1977 to1981. From 1913 to 1975, they were an Independent program. They were part of the Eastern Collegiate Basketball League for one season in 1976-77.

Duquesne Dukes Standings

The Duquesne Dukes, established in 1909, boast a rich history within the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) basketball landscape. Initially competing in the independent ranks, they found a home in the Atlantic 10 Conference in 1976. Renowned for their up-tempo style and passionate fanbase, the Dukes have captured 16 conference championships, the most recent in 2011. They’ve reached the NCAA Tournament 17 times, including a memorable run to the Elite Eight in 1977. While the program hasn’t achieved sustained national prominence in recent years, they continue to develop talented players and strive for conference supremacy, leaving their mark on the ever-evolving narrative of college basketball.

Team History

The Duquesne University men’s basketball program started to play in 1913, playing as an Independent until 1976. In their first season under coach Alexander Hogarty, they finished with a 7-2 record.

The team made its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 1940 and has played in a total of five tournaments to date, making it as far as the finals in their first-ever appearance, where they lost to Colorado 51-40.

There have been seventeen coaches in the Duquesne University men’s basketball history, the first being Hogarty in 1913. He led the team for just one season, finishing with a 7-2 career record.

Championships

Duquesne has won one conference tournament championship. They won the Atlantic 10 Tournament title in 1977. They have also won two regular-season conference championships, winning the Atlantic 10 regular-season championship in 1980 and 1981.

The Dukes have had a difficult time in the 21st Century. They have only one NIT tournament appearance (eliminated at the first round), as well as two College Basketball Invitational tournaments (They only made it as far as Round 2 once).

Important Team Events

The Duquesne Dukes have played in twenty-six postseason tournaments in their history in the NCAA’s Division I. They have five NCAA Tournament appearances with a combined record of 4-5. The furthest they have advanced in the tournament was the Final Four in 1940, when they lost to Indiana 39-30. Their last appearance was in 1977 when they lost in the first round to VMI, 73-66.

The Duquesne Dukes have also played in seventeen National Invitational Tournaments (NIT), with their best performance being in 1955 when they won against Dayton in the finals 70-58 for their only NIT Championship. The Dukes made it to the finals on two other occasions in 1940 and 1954.

The Dukes also competed in the College Basketball Invitational three times, with a combined record of 2-3. They made it to the quarterfinals twice, losing to Morehead State in their last appearance 82-72.

Top Players

The Duquesne Dukes have had many great players in their history, including many who have played in the NBA. Nineteen players in total went on to have careers in the league, with the best known of these probably being Norm Nixon.

Nixon played with three different teams in the league and had a career average of 15.7 points and 8.3 assists in 768 career games. He was a guard for the Los Angeles Lakers team that won the NBA Championship in 1980 and 1982. In addition, he led the team in scoring during the 1982 playoffs.

Nixon was a two-time NBA All-Star and led the league in assists in the 1983-84 season. He also holds the record for the most field goals for the Dukes, with 753 for his collegiate career.

Damien Saunders holds several career records for Duquesne. He holds the highest career field-goal percentage at .561, the most minutes played with 4073, most defensive rebounds with 660, and most blocks per game with 2.4.

Dick Ricketts is the all-time leading scorer for the Dukes, ending his career at the school with 1963 points between 1951 and 1955.

The former player with the highest career points per game is Willie Somerset, who had a 22.7 points-per-game average for the Dukes between 1961 and 1965.

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