Duquesne welcomes ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi to Basketball Tip-Off

Jerry DiPaola
Monday, Oct. 2, 2023 1:32 p.m. | Monday, Oct. 2, 2023 1:32 p.m.

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Duquesne women’s basketball coach Dan Burt is entering his 11th season.

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Joe Lunardi, known as “The Bracketologist,” sits courtside during the men’s basketball game between Saint Joseph’s University and Duquense in Philadelphia, Jan. 3, 2007.

If you have wondered what Joe Lunardi is thinking when he assembles his NCAA Tournament bracketology for ESPN, Duquesne is giving you the chance to hear his insights.

Duquesne will serve as the host for a Basketball Tip-Off Event from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.

Lunardi, ESPN analyst and bracketologist, will serve as the keynote speaker, sharing his insights on the 2023-24 college basketball season. Duquesne men’s and women’s coaches Keith Dambrot and Dan Burt also will speak about their teams and upcoming seasons.

Dambrot is preparing for his seventh season while Burt is approaching is 11th at Duquesne. The men return eight players, including starters Jimmy Clark III, Dae Dae Grant and Tre Williams, from a team that finished 20-13 last season. Each of the women’s top three scorers — Tess Myers, Megan McConnell and Amaya Hamilton — return from a team that finished 19-12 a year ago.

Tickets are free for all Duquesne men’s and women’s basketball 2023-24 season ticket holders, including those who have purchased men’s basketball mini-plans. The price for additional tickets or non-season ticket holders is $10 per person. Appetizers, a cash bar and spirit tastings by Big Spring Spirits also will be available.

Both teams will participate in an autograph and photo session presented by the Red & Blue Collective.