1 / 12

BYU's Jaxson Robinson looks at the scoreboard after a first round NCAA Tournament loss to Duquesne at the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Neb., on Thursday, March 21, 2024.

Courtesy BYU Photo

2 / 12

Duquesne forward Fousseyni Drame (34) and BYU forward Noah Waterman (0) go to the floor for a loose ball in the second half of a first-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Thursday, March 21, 2024, in Omaha, Neb.

Charlie Neibergall. AP Photo

3 / 12

BYU forward Noah Waterman (0) and Duquesne forward Fousseyni Drame (34) are separated by an official after a scuffle in the second half of a first-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Thursday, March 21, 2024, in Omaha, Neb. A double technical was called on the play.

John Peterson, AP Photo

4 / 12

BYU seniors Spencer Johnson (left) and Jaxson Robinson (center) join coach Mark Pope to answer questions after a first round NCAA Tournament loss to Duquesne at the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Neb., on Thursday, March 21, 2024.

Courtesy BYU Photo

5 / 12

The BYU men's basketball team heads to the locker room after a first round NCAA Tournament loss to Duquesne at the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Neb., on Thursday, March 21, 2024.

Courtesy BYU Photo

6 / 12

BYU's Jaxson Robinson (2) races after a loose ball against Duquesne's Dae Dae Grant during a first round NCAA Tournament game at the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Neb., on Thursday, March 21, 2024.

Courtesy BYU Photo

7 / 12

BYU's Jaxson Robinson (2) takes a 3-pointer against Duquesne during a first round NCAA Tournament game at the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Neb., on Thursday, March 21, 2024.

Courtesy BYU Photo

8 / 12

Players on the BYU bench react during a first round NCAA Tournament game against Duquesne at the CHI Health Center on Omaha, Neb., on Thursday, March 21, 2024.

Courtesy BYU Photo

9 / 12

BYU's Spencer Johnson (2) scores a layup against Duquesne's David Dixon during a first round NCAA Tournament game at the CHI Heath Center in Omaha, Neb., on Thursday, March 21, 2024.

Courtesy BYU Photo

10 / 12

BYU fans react during a first round NCAA Tournament game against Duquesne at CHI Health Center in Omaha, Neb., on Thursday, March 21, 2024.

Courtesy BYU Photo

11 / 12

BYU's Richie Saunders (15) battles for a loose ball with Duquesne's Fousseyni Drame during an NCAA first round game at CHI Health Center in Omaha, Neb., on Thursday, March 21, 2024.

Courtesy BYU Photo

12 / 12

BYU guard Richie Saunders (15) walks off the court after a 71-67 loss to Duquesne in a first-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Thursday, March 21, 2024, in Omaha, Neb.

Charlie Neibergall. AP Photo

❮ ❯

OMAHA, Neb. — BYU’s Jaxson Robinson was honored on Senior Night in the Marriot Center on March 9, expected to audition for the NBA and begin his professional basketball career over the next several months.

After Thursday’s hugely disappointing 71-67 first round NCAA Tournament loss to Duquesne on Thursday, the door for his return may have opened just a little bit.

“We want to be back here next year,” Robinson said in the post-game interview session. “I’m already thinking about it.”

Cougar coach Mark Pope brought a little levity to a very somber mood when he put his arm around Robinson’s shoulder and replied, “We can make that happen right now.”

The interaction rang a bell with BYU fans who remember a similar conversation between former Cougar coach Dave Rose and Jimmer Fredette, then a junior in the spring of 2010. Rose convinced Fredette to return and Jimmer Mania was born.

Robinson was terrific on Thursday, scoring 25 points on 5 of 11 from the 3-point line and leading BYU back from double-digit deficits twice.

“I was just playing within the offense, taking whatever the defense gives me,” Robinson said. “My teammates were finding me for open shots. Dallin (Hall) did a great job of just being a facilitator. He’s been there all season for us.”

Scoring 25 points in an NCAA Tournament game gives Robinson a nice bump in visibility heading into the tryout process, where he’ll receive feedback on his pro options.

Robinson, who began his career at Texas A&M then moved to Arkansas before transferring to BYU two years ago, was asked about his time in Provo.

“Coach Pope has been great,” Robinson said. “He’s helped me so much, mentored me. I couldn’t be here without him. He took a chance on me, and I’m forever in debt for that.”

A quiet place

The BYU locker room was understandably a sad place to be after losing to No. 11 seed Duquesne.

“It hurts, it just hurts,” sophomore guard Richie Saunders said as emotion choked his voice. “Maybe it was their physicality, as well as the big stage. I see so much personally that I wish I could go back so I could do what I do. I made mistakes I’ve never made before.”

Sophomore point guard Dallin Hall finished with 11 points, six assists and four steals.

“We had high expectations for ourselves that we didn’t meet,” he said. “My hand goes out to Jax and our seniors. This was our shot with them and so there is some sadness. It’s hard to put into words, but those guys are going to go on to do great things. We’re going to learn from this and get better as a team.”

The little things

It seemed that the Dukes go to every loose ball and were the benefactors in some good bounces during the game.

“I never want to take away from the opponent and what they do,” Hall said. “There were just a couple of things we should have done better like grabbing loose balls and boxing out. I remember I gave up a rebound on that air ball. So those are things that I’ve got to clean up as a leader and as a team.”

Turning point?

At the start of the second half, BYU’s Noah Waterman and Duquesne’s Fousseyni Drame got tangled up on a rebound. The two players went to the floor and TV replays showed Drame lunging at Waterman during the scramble. Drame ran away from the scrum clapping his hands, igniting the Dukes fans and his team. After an official review, both players were assessed a technical foul.

“I think the little scuffle at the beginning of the second kind of showed everything about what we’re about,” Dambrot said. “We’re going to compete at a very high level in a very clean way, but we’re going to compete and make people each every inch of the court.

I think it (toughness) is the only factor. Our toughness level was high level. I thought guys were getting bloodied on both sides. It was a tough game. They (BYU) are super physical. All people talk about with them is their 3-point shooting. But they’re super physical. They hold. They grab. They play very similarly to us. They’re big and strong.”

Coming back

Waterman received a medical waiver this week and plans to return next season.

“I feel like everybody kind of had a little bit of nerves,” he said. “For me it was my first time being here, but everybody was excited and ready to go. I think the nerves might have got us a little bit with the slow start.

“We punched back, but the key was we should have done it earlier, in the first half, but we didn’t. We did it in the second half. I feel like if we did it in the first half the game would have ended up a little different, but it is what it is.”

Who’s that?

The NCAA Tournament can make a star out of anyone, and 6-8 Duquesne freshman reserve Jakub Necas had his moment on Thursday.

Necas came into the game averaging 2.3 points but set career highs in points (12), rebounds (six) and blocks (three) in the Dukes upset of BYU. It was just the second time all season that Necas scored double-digit points.

“”I felt like I had good momentum,” he said. “In the tournament, I’m just trying to keep going, just play basketball and enjoy every moment because nobody expected us to be here.”

Necas tallied eight points in the first half, including a pair of 3-pointers and five points in the final minute to give Duquesne an eight-point halftime lead.

Out of gas

Much has been written about BYU junior center Aly Khalifa, who keys much of the team’s offense with his passing and outside shooting from the high post. Khalifa, who suffered an ankle injury in last week’s Big 12 Tournament, is a Muslim who is fasting from sun up to sun down to observe the holy month of Ramadan.

Pope will be second-guessed for sticking with Khalifa in the starting lineup on Thursday. Khalifa was obviously at less-than-full strength and in 16 minutes went scoreless on six shots (0 for 4 from the 3-point line) with one assist and two turnovers.

Old man

Senior Spencer Johnson is definitely done with his college career, which led him to Weber State, Utah Valley and Salt Lake Community College before spending the past four years in Provo. In his final performance, Johnson had 11 points and a career-high 16 rebounds, the third most boards in BYU NCAA Tournament history.

“For me, it’s been an absolute dream to be able to play here for four years,” Johnson said. “To see the growth that we’ve taken as a program, as individuals, it’s been incredible. I’m so grateful to everybody, our administration, our athletic directors and coaches, Coach Pope and his entire staff. It’s been so awesome.”

Robinson said, “Speaking specifically for this dude right here (Johnson), he’s my brother. He’s the ultimate leader. He’s led this team the whole season. We wouldn’t want anybody else to do it. I can speak for everybody in the locker room when I say that.”

Tip-ins: BYU led for just 29 seconds in the game. That short-lived lead came in the first half with 7:22 to play when a Robinson 3-pointer gave the Cougars a 20-19 advantage. … BYU was also a No. 6 seed in its last NCAA Tournament appearance, a 73-62 loss to No. 11 seed UCLA. … Robinson’s 25 points was tied for third for the most points scored by an individual player in BYU NCAA Tournament history.

Newsletter