Duquesne men's basketball earns NCAA tournament bid for first time since 1977; Dukes to play BYU Cougars in first round
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Duquesne men's basketball has earned an NCAA tournament bid for the first time since 1977 after defeating VCU 57-51 on Sunday in the finals of the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament.
Duquesne (24-11) came into Sunday's contest riding a seven-game winning streak and entered the conference title game for the first time since 2009.
"Confetti fell for the second time, and it was like, 'Here we go, we're going dancing,'" Duquesne sophomore Dom Fusca said.
"It feels very cool; very happy [and] proud of the school that I'm at. A very good time, very exciting, especially for basketball," freshman Declan Rainowski said. "I think a lot of students are going to be excited, especially since it has been so long."
"I mean, come on, did you watch the game? Look at us. We're there for sure," Fusca added.
Duquesne earned the No. 11 seed in the Selection Sunday special, and they will face off against the No. 6 seed BYU Cougars (23-10) in a first-round matchup in Omaha, Nebraska, on Thursday, March 21.
This will be Duquesne's sixth tournament appearance. The team previously earned berths in 1940, 1952, 1969, 1971 and 1977.
Owner of Moonlit Burgers located in between Duquesne's campus and PPG Paints Arena says he's looking forward to the economic boom hosting and having a team in the dance will bring.
"It's going to be a busy few weeks. We are very excited. We are definitely integrated into the Duquesne campus. We are the hang-out spot," said Wayne Saward, general manager of Moonlit Burgers.
Saward says he sees the players often and enjoys the connection with the school.
"It feels like part of your family when you have a winning team that you know the people on."
PPG Paints Arena will once again play host to first- and second-round matchups in the tournament.
To purchase tickets for the NCAA tournament in Pittsburgh, click here.