Big 12 Basketball

Three Thoughts on BYU’s 71-67 Loss to Duquesne in the 2024 NCAA Tournament

By Bryan Clinton

Posted on March 21, 2024

In an absolute March classic, it was Duquesne who outlasted BYU to pull off a massive upset in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, 71-67.

The Dukes held a 14-point lead at one point in the second half, but the Cougars chiseled away and tied the game with 1:47 left on a Fousseyni Traore dunk. However, the Cougars could never grab a lead in the end, as Duquesne held strong.

Here are three thoughts on the game and what it means for both teams going forward.

Duquesne Puts on a Masterclass for Three-Point Defense

BYU came into the tournament leading the country in three-point attempts per game (32.2), and Duquesne was fully aware of what the Cougars were capable of if they were allowed to have open looks from deep. So, they didn’t provide many open looks at all. All day long, the Dukes ran BYU off the three-point line and forced them to take inside shots. When the dust settled, BYU had attempted just 24 threes, making just eight attempts (33.3%). Another costly product of this was Fousseyni Traore’s inability to get several inside looks to fall, shooting just 4-of-12 from the field and having several open shots rim out. Traore and Jaxson Robinson (more on him in a bit) were the only Cougars with more than six field goal attempts on the day, further proving the point that Duquesne made them uncomfortable from the first whistle.

Jaxson Robinson Can’t Save the Day

While the loss will be the storyline that prevails, Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year Jaxson Robinson was the biggest reason why BYU was even in this game late. The Dukes took an eight-point lead into the locker room and built that lead to 14 points with 16:48 left to go in the game. After the under-10 timeout, Robinson started the biggest run of his day with a layup to cut the lead to six, 50-44. Duquesne answered with a two of their own, but Robinson nailed a three and scooped in a beautiful layup, making it 52-49. Then, just before the five-minute mark, Robinson made another three to bring it within one point. That three gave him 25 points, but that was the final shot he’d make as the Dukes forced BYU off the three-point line and kept them from every truly settling into the game.

The Number to Know: 1-11

With this loss, BYU’s 2023-24 season comes to an abrupt finish as the Cougars are the first team to suffer a classic March Madness upset. However, one could suggest that the outcome of this game was pretty well in hand at the five-minute mark. As the broadcast informed viewers, BYU was just 1-10 in games that they trailed with five minutes to go. That statistic now moves to 1-11 as Mark Pope’s squad failed to secure a come-from-behind win once again. Many folks expected the Cougars’ experience in a physical Big 12 to carry over into the tournament, but it was Duquesne who was the more physical team down the stretch, and in the end, that’s what advanced them to the Round of 32. Meanwhile, BYU will have to head back to Provo and get ready for next season.