One of the first regional games of the 2024 March Madness men’s college basketball tournament starts in the East with No. 6 seed BYU (23-10) taking on No. 11 Duquesne (24-11).
BYU is making just its third appearance in the NCAA tournament of the last decade and the first since 2021. The Cougars moved to the Big 12 conference this season and handled the change well, finishing 20th in points per game nationally at 81.9. The Cougars are especially aggressive from three-point range and shoot the second-most three pointers in the country (32.2) and make the second-most as well (11.2). This is a team that shares the scoring load; guard Jaxson Robinson is the only player scoring more than 10 points per game but six other BYU players average at least nine points per game. They’re into March Madness after losing 81-67 to No. 22 Texas Tech in the Big 12 conference quarterfinals.
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Duquesne made the NCAA tournament this March for the first time since 1977. The Dukes have won their last eight games, including a win over then-ranked Dayton in the Atlantic 10 conference tournament. Duquesne won four games in five days to take the conference tournament title and punch their ticket to March Madness. Unlike BYU, the Dukes thrive on the defensive end, allowing just 66 points per game (29th in the country). Guards Dae Dae Grant and Jimmy Clark III lead the way on offense with 16.7 and 15.1 points per game, respectively.
