OMAHA, Neb. — Late on Jan. 20, there was no other way for an outsider to look at it: Duquesne was a bust.
The Dukes had just fallen to 0-5 in Atlantic 10 play, a losing streak that included a 72-67 game at Loyola. Making the NCAA Tournament would have seemed like a preposterous notion to anyone considering it.
Well, this 11th-seeded team is 16-3 since and — no doubt about it — peaking as it waits to take a shot at third-seeded Illinois in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Here are a few things to know about the Dukes.
1. The defense never rests: This team is all hands, disruption and chaos at that end of the floor. And it is mighty confident that it can throw the Illini — who score in the mid-80s on average — for a loop.
“Keeping the game in the low 60s, that’s what we do,” guard Kareem Rozier said.
“We’ve got to put our dukes up and guard,” forward David Dixon said next before one-upping his teammate. “Keep them below 60.”
We’ll see about that.
2. The Drame team: Fousseyni and Hassan Drame were key players on the St. Peter’s team that went to the Elite Eight a couple of years ago. Now they’re Dukes, with Fousseyni in a major role. They are Muslims and observing Ramadan, fasting from sunup to sundown. Game time Saturday is 7:40 p.m., almost exactly the time the sun was scheduled to set on Friday.
“Fasting just feels different,” Fousseyni said. “It activates this type of energy within yourself.”
Maybe a nice halftime snack will be in order?
3. Keith Dambrot’s farewell: Duquesne’s coach will retire at season’s end, which could mean Saturday. This is his fourth Big Dance as a coach — he made it three times with Akron — and at least he’ll always have this year’s upset of BYU.
“I have some emotional times,” he said, “but I also have some relaxed times. I feel like it’s the most relaxed I’ve ever coached.”
