NCAA notebook: Crowd watching Creighton/Akron game at PPG Paints Arena distracted by Duquesne's victory in Omaha

For several moments Thursday afternoon, the crowd at PPG Paints Arena divided its attention between the Creighton/Akron game and what was happening 839 miles away in Omaha, Neb.

Greg McDermott laughs answering a question from @KevinGormanPGH about the crowd watching Duquesne during their game: "It was a little odd to play the game with that going on because the Oos and Ahhs didn't really match up with what was going on on the floor."

— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) March 21, 2024

Fans at PPG Paints Arena give Duquesne a standing ovation as Dukes beat BYU in NCAA second round in Omaha. What a memorable moment for Duquesne, the host school for this event.

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) March 21, 2024

During a timeout while Creighton was defeating Akron, 77-60, in an NCAA Tournament first-round game, arena officials used the overhead scoreboard to show the telecast of the final moments of Duquesne’s 71-67 upset of BYU in Omaha.

After the timeout, the Duquesne game came off the scoreboard, triggering a round of boos from the crowd before it returned almost immediately in a smaller window.

Then, when the Dukes’ victory was final, pockets of fans, including some from Creighton, gave Duquesne, the host school, a standing ovation.

“It was a little strange to play the game with that going on,” Creighton coach Greg McDermott said, “because the cheers and the oohs and ahs didn’t really match up to what was going on on the floor in front of us. So, that was somewhat challenging for our guys.”

Longtime friends, McDermott and Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot competed against each other when McDermott was at Northern Iowa and Dambrot was the Akron coach.

“What a great way for him to go out as his career is winding down,” McDermott said of Dambrot, who will retire at the end of the season. “He’s tremendously respected in our profession, and good things happen to good people sometimes, and he deserved that.”

AP

Duquesne head coach Keith Dambrot signals to his team as they played against BYU in the first half of a first-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Thursday, March 21, 2024, in Omaha, Neb.

On the opposing bench, coach John Groce, who replaced Dambrot as Akron’s coach in 2017, said he planned to speak to his former rival later Thursday night. Groce, who formerly coached at Illinois and Ohio University, competed against Dambrot when both men were in the Mid-American Conference.

“A big reason why I ended up coming to Akron was because of Keith and all the success that he had had (there) and the battles we had had when I was at Ohio,” Groce said. “I was attracted to that (job) in large part because of Keith.”

Groce said Wednesday that he hired some support staff people at Illinois based on Dambrot’s recommendation.

“Great respect for him as a coach, person,” he said. “You know, Keith is a huge part of Akron, the city, the university, what he did there. You know, he’s one of ours. We’re excited for him and his team and what they’ve done this year … very thankful for what he means to Akron basketball and our program and always will (be).”

Another Pittsburgh connection

Moments after South Carolina’s 87-74 loss to Oregon, Orlando Antigua stood in a hallway near the locker rooms and waited until he had a chance to congratulate every Gamecocks player as they left the floor. He even shared hugs with a few of them.

Antigua is a Kentucky assistant coach.

He’s also one of four members of the Wildcats’ program with Pittsburgh ties, with head coach John Calipari (Moon) and former WPIAL stars Adou Thiero and Tre Mitchell.

“It’s always great to be back in the ‘Burgh, especially under these cirumstances,” he said on his way to Kentucky’s locker room.

Antigua played and coached at Pitt during the decades of the 1990s and 2000s and was the program’s director of basketball operations for three years during a 20-year coaching career. A native of the Dominican Republic, he spent seven seasons with the Harlem Globetrotters, becoming their first player of Latin American descent while visiting 49 countries.

Antigua was a two-time team captain and four-year letter winner at Pitt from 1992-95, ranking among the top 15 all-time Panthers in 3-pointers, blocked shots and career 3-point percentage. He was selected to the 1992 Big East Conference All-Rookie team.

In 1994, he was named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Most Courageous Athlete after he was shot in the head near his left eye in 1988. He played three seasons at Pitt with the slug in his head, eventually having it removed after he began suffering severe headaches.

The oldest of three brothers, he also helped his family through a period of homelessness in the Bronx, N.Y. Meanwhile, he was student council president at St. Raymond’s High School and was named to the McDonald’s All-America second team.

Asked to identify the No. 1 highlight of his basketball career, he said, “The whole career’s been a highlight, from high school all the way through.”

Antigua said he still follows what’s happening with Pitt’s program.

“It’s when I get a chance to be a fan,” he said. “I love what (Jeff Capel) has done with the guys. Just have to keep it rolling and looking forward to more success.”

Oregon’s Altman to face former team

Before he headed off to lead the Oregon men’s basketball program, Dana Altman coached Creighton from 1994-2010.

On Saturday, Altman’s No. 11-seeded Ducks will take on No. 3 Creighton in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at PPG Paints Arena.

“Oh, you know, you spend 16 years at a place, and I got great feelings about Creighton,” Altman said. “You can leave a place, but that doesn’t mean you still don’t love the place. And I’ve had 14 great years at Oregon, and I love this place. And when I’m done, I’ll feel the same way about Oregon as I do about Creighton.

“I’m the luckiest guy. I’ve coached 30 years at two great schools, and I’ve been supported and given everything we need to try to be successful.”

Altman said he still has family in Nebraska, where Creighton is located.

“Oregon is 1, but I think Creighton is 1A,” Altman said. “There’s not much separation. I still love the school.”

Altman is one of only three active coaches with 26 consecutive winning seasons (Tom Izzo, Bill Self).

He is 732-383 in 34 seasons as a head coach, which also includes stints at Marshall and Kansas State.

In 2017, he led Oregon to the Final Four for the first time in 78 years.

“It’s bittersweet because only one of us is going to move on,” Altman said. “But we’ll battle our tails off. … Greg (McDermott) has done a tremendous job. They got a tremendous team, individual talent on that team is really special. So we’re going to have to play as good as we’ve ever played to get ‘em. We’re going to have to be so sharp defensively, on the boards. We’re going to have to shoot it good again.”