Duquesne finally reaches NCAA Tournament, but there's plenty of work to do at home, too

For years, Duquesne athletic director Dave Harper expressed to anyone willing to listen how desperately he wanted to see his men’s basketball team in the NCAA Tournament.

“I said, ‘I’m not going to rest until our name is on a (bracket) line on Sunday on that selection show,’ ” he said.

It finally happened Sunday when Duquesne defeated VCU, 57-51, in the championship game of the Atlantic 10 Tournament, securing the conference’s automatic bid.

“When BYU (Duquesne’s opponent in the first round Thursday) was up and we were the 11 seed,” Harper said, “that’s when it was, ‘OK, we did it.’

“That final little symbol and then get back to work.”

Especially this year.

While the Dukes will be in Omaha, Neb., making the program’s first appearance in the tournament in 47 years, the university is serving as host for the opening rounds at PPG Paints Arena. Teams arrive Wednesday for practice, with the games scheduled for Thursday and Saturday.

“I always said, ‘I’d rather be playing than hosting,’ but we’re doing both,” Harper said.

Harper said two huge events happening simultaneously demanded that he divide his staff in half. Some people who were scheduled to work the tournament in Pittsburgh are heading west with the team.

Longtime sports information director Dave Saba is coming out of retirement and will accompany the team to Omaha.

“Wisely so,” Harper said of enlisting Saba’s help. “Thanks to Dave for being on call.”

Meanwhile, current SID Jim Duzyk stays home to ensure the tournament runs smoothly.

“The minute we won (Sunday),” Harper said, “our (department) team had backup lists for team hosts, backup lists to work games. We’re in good shape, fortunately.

“The other part is we want to run a watch party for our game on campus.”

There’s plenty of work to do — physically and logistically — but Harper said with a tone of self-assuredness, “We’ll get it done.”

“It makes it easier because everyone’s happy. It’s a big challenge. I feel bad I can’t be present for the NCAA games here. Obviously, there’s no way I’m not going to our game.”

During the game Sunday, Harper sat courtside at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., trying to remain outwardly calm while the Dukes lost most of an 18-point lead.

“I was an absolute trainwreck,” he said. “I was living every possession. I do every game, but especially when so much was on the line.

“Our competitive nature as humans. You want something so bad, you wear it on both sleeves.”