# 2023–24 Duquesne Dukes men's basketball team

The 2023–24 Duquesne Dukes men's basketball team represented Duquesne University during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by seventh-year head coach Keith Dambrot in his final season as head coach, and played their home games at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10). They finished the season 25–12, 10–8 in A-10 play, to finish in sixth place. As the 6 seed, they defeated Saint Louis, Dayton, St. Bonaventure and VCU to be champions of the A-10 tournament. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament for the sixth time in school history and first since 1977. As the No. 11 seed in the East Region, they upset BYU in the first round before losing in the second round to Illinois.

## Previous season

The Dukes finished the 2022–23 season 20–11, 10–8 in A-10 play, to finish in a tie for sixth place. They lost to La Salle in the first round of the A-10 tournament. The Dukes were invited to the College Basketball Invitational where they were defeated by Rice in the first round.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Tevin Brewer | 0 | G | 5'8" | 160 | GS Senior | Fort Smith, AR | Graduated |
| Joe Reece | 20 | F | 6'8" | 200 | Senior | St. Louis, MO | Left the team for personal reasons |
| Rodney Gunn Jr. | 21 | F | 6'7" | 230 | GS Senior | Columbia, SC | Graduated |
| Devin Carney | 23 | G | 6'1" | 180 | Freshman | Butler, PA | Transferred to Denver |
| Jaylen Cole-Williams | 25 | G | 6'1" | 175 | RS Sophomore | Reston, VA | Walk-on; transferred |
| Jake Harper | 30 | G | 6'3" | 180 | Junior | Dayton, OH | Walk-on; left the team for personal reasons |
| Austin Rotroff | 34 | F | 6'10" | 240 | GS Senior | Wauseon, OH | Graduated |
| Kevin Easley Jr. | 35 | F | 6'7" | 230 | RS Junior | Indianapolis, IN | Transferred to Coastal Carolina |
| Quincy McGriff | 55 | G | 6'6" | 200 | Sophomore | Los Angeles, CA | Transferred to Cal State Northridge |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Dusan Mahorcic | 0 | F | 6'10" | 225 | GS Senior | Belgrade, Serbia | NC State |
| Andrei Savrasov | 23 | F | 6'7" | 225 | GS Senior | Saint Petersburg, Russia | Georgia Southern |
| Hassan Drame | 33 | F | 6'7" | 200 | GS Senior | Bamako, Mali | La Salle |
| Fousseyni Drame | 34 | F | 6'7" | 200 | GS Senior | Bamako, Mali | La Salle |

### 2023 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Kailon Nicholls PG | Toronto, ON | Hargrave Military Academy | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) | Apr 19, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| Jakub Nečas PF | Czech Republic | Basketball Club Brno | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Jul 12, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 30, 2023. ||||||

### 2024 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2024) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Dominique Aekins PG | Columbus, OH | Walnut Ridge High School | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | N/A | Jul 19, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 30, 2023. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2023* 7:00 p.m., SNPT/ESPN+ | | Cleveland State | W 79–77 | 1–0 | 21 – Grant | 6 – Dixon | 8 – Clark III | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (2,364) Pittsburgh, PA |
| November 10, 2023* 6:00 p.m., CBSSN | | vs. Charleston Veterans Classic | W 90–72 | 2–0 | 22 – Grant | 9 – F. Drame | 7 – Clark III | Alumni Hall Annapolis, MD |
| November 13, 2023* 7:00 p.m., SNPT/ESPN+ | | Stony Brook Cornhusker Classic | W 85–63 | 3–0 | 24 – Clark III | 11 – F. Drame | 7 – Rozier | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse Pittsburgh, PA |
| November 15, 2023* 7:00 p.m., SNPT/ESPN+ | | Princeton | L 67–70 | 3–1 | 17 – Clark III | 5 – Rozier | 3 – tied | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (2,877) Pittsburgh, PA |
| November 17, 2023* 7:00 p.m., SNPT/ESPN+ | | Rider Cornhusker Classic | W 77–58 | 4–1 | 23 – Grant | 10 – Drame | 3 – Rozier | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (2,153) Pittsburgh, PA |
| November 22, 2023* 8:00 p.m., BTN | | at Nebraska Cornhusker Classic | L 79–89 | 4–2 | 24 – Grant | 8 – Drame | 3 – Grant | Pinnacle Bank Arena (14,426) Lincoln, NE |
| November 29, 2023* 7:00 p.m., SNPT/ESPN+ | | UC Irvine | W 66–62 | 5–2 | 15 – Savrasov | 7 – Savrasov | 5 – Clark III | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (2,193) Pittsburgh, PA |
| December 6, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Marshall | W 85–72 | 6–2 | 24 – Clark III | 9 – Savrasov | 4 – Rozier | Cam Henderson Center (3,947) Huntington, WV |
| December 8, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Saint Peter's | W 68–59 | 7–2 | 19 – Grant | 7 – Drame | 5 – Clark III | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (2,088) Pittsburgh, PA |
| December 18, 2023* 7:00 p.m. | | vs. Bradley | W 69–67 | 8–2 | 21 – Clark III | 5 – tied | 4 – Clark III | LeBron James Arena (1,375) Akron, OH |
| December 23, 2023* 5:00 p.m., FloSports | | vs. Santa Clara | L 73–81 | 8–3 | 32 – Grant | 5 – tied | 3 – tied | Orleans Arena Paradise, NV |
| December 30, 2023* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Cleary | W 95–47 | 9–3 | 15 – tied | 9 – Drame | 5 – Grant | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (2,188) Pittsburgh, PA |
| January 3, 2024 7:00 p.m., SNPT/ESPN+ | | at UMass | L 61–80 | 9–4 (0–1) | 18 – Grant | 9 – Drame | 3 – tied | Mullins Center (2,561) Amherst, MA |
| January 6, 2024 4:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at Loyola Chicago | L 67–72 | 9–5 (0–2) | 19 – Dixon | 8 – Grant | 5 – Rozier | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (2,671) Chicago, IL |
| January 12, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | No. 16 Dayton | L 62–72 | 9–6 (0–3) | 14 – Grant | 7 – Dixon | 5 – Rozier | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (3,724) Pittsburgh, PA |
| January 16, 2024 7:00 p.m., SNPT/ESPN+ | | Richmond | L 61–63 | 9–7 (0–4) | 16 – Clark III | 6 – tied | 4 – Clark III | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (2,463) Pittsburgh, PA |
| January 20, 2024 2:30 p.m., USA | | at Saint Joseph's | L 69–71 | 9–8 (0–5) | 21 – Clark III | 6 – Dixon | 4 – Rozier | Hagan Arena (2,507) Philadelphia, PA |
| January 23, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | St. Bonaventure | W 54–50 | 10–8 (1–5) | 9 – Clark III | 8 – Williams | 4 – Hronský | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (2,489) Pittsburgh, PA |
| January 27, 2024 12:30 p.m., USA | | Fordham | W 68–59 | 11–8 (2–5) | 15 – DiMichele | 6 – Dixon | 7 – Clark III | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (3,027) Pittsburgh, PA |
| January 31, 2024* 7:00 p.m., SNPT/ESPN+ | | Chicago State | W 65–60 | 12–8 | 17 – Grant | 10 – Drame | 3 – tied | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (2,366) Pittsburgh, PA |
| February 3, 2024 12:30 p.m., USA | | at Rhode Island | W 85–71 | 13–8 (3–5) | 31 – Grant | 5 – Clark III | 5 – tied | Ryan Center (5,822) Kingston, RI |
| February 7, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Davidson | L 59–72 | 13–9 (3–6) | 15 – DiMichele | 5 – tied | 3 – Rozier | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (2,535) Pittsburgh, PA |
| February 10, 2024 2:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at St. Bonaventure | W 75–69 | 14–9 (4–6) | 16 – Drame | 14 – Drame | 8 – Clark III | Reilly Center (4,750) Olean, NY |
| February 13, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at No. 16 Dayton | L 59–75 | 14–10 (4–7) | 14 – Clark III | 5 – Williams | 6 – Grant | UD Arena (13,407) Dayton, OH |
| February 17, 2024 2:30 p.m., USA | | Saint Joseph's | W 66–56 | 15–10 (5–7) | 17 – Dixon | 10 – Dixon | 4 – Clark III | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (3,017) Pittsburgh, PA |
| February 20, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Saint Louis | W 81–66 | 16–10 (6–7) | 31 – Grant | 9 – DiMichele | 7 – Clark III | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (2,178) Pittsburgh, PA |
| February 23, 2024 8:30 p.m., ESPN2 | | at Fordham | L 67–79 | 16–11 (6–8) | 15 – Grant | 4 – tied | 2 – tied | Rose Hill Gymnasium (2,850) The Bronx, NY |
| February 28, 2024 7:00 p.m., SNPT/ESPN+ | | La Salle | W 75–63 | 17–11 (7–8) | 22 – Clark III | 6 – Grant | 8 – Clark III | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (2,233) Pittsburgh, PA |
| March 2, 2024 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at George Mason | W 59–51 | 18–11 (8–8) | 13 – Grant | 4 – tied | 2 – tied | EagleBank Arena (5,058) Fairfax, VA |
| March 5, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at VCU | W 69–59 | 19–11 (9–8) | 26 – Grant | 6 – tied | 4 – Clark III | Siegel Center (7,044) Richmond, VA |
| March 9, 2024 2:00 p.m., SNPT/ESPN+ | | George Washington | W 67–65 | 20–11 (10–8) | 22 – Clark III | 7 – tied | 3 – tied | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (3,134) Pittsburgh, PA |
| A-10 tournament |||||||||
| March 13, 2024 7:30 p.m., USA | (6) | vs. (14) Saint Louis Second Round | W 83–73 | 21–11 | 20 – Clark III | 6 – Dixon | 7 – Grant | Barclays Center (6,432) Brooklyn, NY |
| March 14, 2024 7:30 p.m., USA | (6) | vs. (3) No. 24 Dayton Quarterfinals | W 65–57 | 22–11 | 16 – Clark III | 8 – Drame | 4 – Clark III | Barclays Center (6,327) Brooklyn, NY |
| March 16, 2024 3:30 p.m., CBSSN | (6) | vs. (7) St. Bonaventure Semifinals | W 70–60 | 23–11 | 27 – Grant | 8 – tied | 6 – Clark III | Barclays Center (8,037) Brooklyn, NY |
| March 17, 2024 1:00 p.m., CBS | (6) | vs. (5) VCU Championship | W 57–51 | 24–11 | 10 – Grant | 12 – Drame | 3 – tied | Barclays Center (7,805) Brooklyn, NY |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 21, 2024 12:40 p.m., TruTV | (11 E) | vs. (6 E) No. 21 BYU First Round | W 71–67 | 25–11 | 19 – Grant | 8 – F. Drame | 4 – Clark III | CHI Health Center Omaha Omaha, NE |
| March 23, 2024 8:40 p.m., TNT | (11 E) | vs. (3 E) No. 10 Illinois Second Round | L 63–89 | 25–12 | 14 – Clark III | 6 – Dixon | 4 – Clark III | CHI Health Center Omaha (17,387) Omaha, NE |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
Source