Duquesne has provided the first upset of March Madness as the 11-seed stunned 6-seed BYU in the opening round. Dae Dae Grant had a team-high 19 points as the Dukes were able to fend off a late rally by the Cougars. The last 26 seconds of the game saw the teams combine for 10 free throws as they fought for control of the game. However, Duquesne would prevail 71-67. BYU's Jaxson Robinson had a game-high 25 points in the loss. Duquesne will either face No. 3 Illinois or No. 14 Morehead State in the second round. The win marks the first at an NCAA tournament for Duquesne since 1969.
As the game was the second of the main bracket to tip off, it means that Duquesne had, and took the first opportunity to provide an upset. Per ESPN's "Perfect Bracket Tracker", BYU's loss spoiled over 9 million brackets. Earlier in the day, No. 9 Michigan State beating No. 8 Mississippi State ended the perfection run of around 9 million other brackets.
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Duquesne Win In Gifted LeBrons
Furthermore, Duquesne's win came in some very special footwear. Yesterday, LeBron James surprised the team with new LeBron 21s ahead of the start of their March Madness run. LeBron delivered the shoes to the team in person in Omaha. The Pittsburgh-based school, who appear in March Madness for the first time since 1977, is coached by Keith Dambrot, LeBron's high school coach at St. Vincent-St. Mary's. Dambrot has been with the Dukes since 2017 and sees them enter March Madness after making the CBI last year.
The LeBron 21s dropped the "Blue Diver" variant earlier this month. The two-tone blue shoes have a unique design based on oysters. LeBron has explained that this is a tribute to his daughter, Zhuri. According to LeBron, he wanted a shoe that showcased how he protects her like an oyster protects its precious pearl.
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