Need not just a good turnout, but for this to be a game where everyone on the roster is healthy and available. A week of film study and game planning deserves a full squad.

Duquesne Dukes
Date: Wednesday January 15th, 2025
Time: 7:00 PM ET
Venue: Charles E. Smith Center (Washington, DC)
TV: ESPN+
Ranks: 153rd (KenPom), 125th (Bart Torvik), 148th (Haslametrics), 153rd (EvanMiya)
2023-24 Record: 25-12, 10-8 (6th in A10)
2024-25 Projected Record: 13-18, 8-10 (T-10th in A10)

Head-to-Head: 55-36. Duquesne has come out on top in the last two contests. The Dukes notably drubbed GW in the last home contest 93-67 in what was one of the worst played games by the Buff and Blue in recent memory. Duquesne was winning by 30 at halftime, making the second half effectively irrelevant. The Dukes shot 52% from the field and drained 17 threes against the home team (on 22 assists). GW helped out by coughing up the ball 18 times. Only two Revs finished in double figures. Funnily enough, Max led the way with 15 points while JB added an inefficient 10 on 12 shot attempts.

Last year's return contest was a lot closer. That might sound surprising given how the second half of the season went, but we caught Duquesne at the very end of the regular season when GW's play started to pick up again. It helped that Duquesne only made four threes this time around, although they unfortunately went a perfect 11/11 from the FT line. Two of those came on the final play, when Stretch was called for a foul on a take by Clark to  the rim. Unless it is a blatant foul, I personally hate when games end on those kinds of calls. It undid a relatively efficient shooting game from GW, as the Revs shot 37% from 3, and 89% from the line (although they only got there nine times). The team finished with 15 assists as well. Jun led the teamby stuffing the stat sheet, finishing with 19 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals while JB pitched in 17 points (although it was on 18 shots). He hit a game-tying jumper in the final minute. Max also added 12 points from off the bench.

Offensive Efficiency: 199th (KenPom), 169th (Bart Torvik), 174th (Haslametrics), 191st (EvanMiya)
Defensive Efficiency: 131st (KenPom), 125th (Bart Torvik), 147th (Haslametrics), 130th (EvanMiya)
Pace: 339th (KenPom), 340th (Bart Torvik), 345th (Haslametrics), 329th (EvanMiya)
Offensive Shot Quality Rank: 144th
Defensive Shot Quality Rank: 164th
Rim & 3 Rate: 84% (139th)

Strengths (2024-25 Season):
Scoring Defense: 65.8 PPG (45th)
Bench Points Per Game: 26.9 PPG (59th)
Blocks Per Game: 4.1 BPG (83rd)
Offensive Rebounds Per Game: 12.1 ORPG (94th)
Field Goal Percentage Defense: 41.7% (95th)

Weaknesses (2024-25 Season):
Free Throw Attempts Per Game: 17.3 FTA (272nd)
Field Goal Percentage: 43% (273rd)
Defensive Rebounds Per Game: 23.8 DRPG (280th)
Scoring Offense: 69 PPG (305th)
Free Throws Made Per Game: 11.1 FTM (320th)
Free Throw Percentage: 63.9% (339th)
Three Point Percentage Defense: 37.1% (340th)

Projected Starting Lineup:
#0 G Tre Dinkins (Senior; Chester, PA) - 11.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 2.6 apg; 40% FG, 38% 3-PT, 76% FT per 27.1 mpg/16 GP
#1 G Cam Crawford (RS Junior; Birmingham, AL) - 7 ppg, 2.4 rpg; 41% FG, 43% 3-PT, 80% FT per 19.5 mpg/13 GP
#4 G/F Jahsean Corbett (Senior; Orlando, FL) - 10.4 ppg, 6 rpg, 2.1 apg; 42% FG, 33% 3-PT, 45% FT per 29.1 mpg/16 GP
#7 F Jakub Necas (Sophomore; Blansko, Czechia) - 5.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.4 apg; 41% FG, 30% 3-PT, 76% FT per 21.4 mpg/15 GP
#5 F Halil Barre (Junior; Cotonou, Benin) - 5.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.4 bpg; 73% FG, 56% FT per 13.4 mpg/11 GP

Key Bench Players:
#3 G Kareem Rozier (Junior; Detroit, MI) - 7.4 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.1 spg; 34% FG, 34% 3-PT, 67% FT per 29.4 mpg/16 GP
#44 G Jake DiMichele (Sophomore; McKees Rocks, PA) - 10.9 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1 spg; 50% FG, 32% 3-PT, 61% FT per 24.3 mpg/7 GP
#2 F David Dixon (Junior; Memphis, TN) - 5.7 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.6 bpg; 53% FG, 38% 3-PT, 72% FT per 18.3 mpg/16 GP
#8 G Maximus Edwards (RS Junior; Stratford, CT) - 6.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1 apg; 36% FG, 19% 3-PT, 72% FT per 18.2 mpg/16 GP
#14 F Matúš Hronsky (Junior; Poruba, Slovakia) - 5 ppg, 2.1 rpg; 39% FG, 38% 3-PT, 100% FT per 15.9 mpg/16 GP
#25 F Eli Wilborn (Sophomore; Middletown, CT) - 4.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg; 73% FG, 47% FT per 9.8 mpg/12 GP

Key Losses:
Dae Dae Grant (Graduated; Lorain, OH) - 16.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1 spg; 39% FG, 34% 3-PT, 94% FT per 32.8 mpg/34 GP
Jimmy Clark III (Graduated; Covington, GA) - 15 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.8 apg, 2.4 spg; 42% FG, 33% 3-PT, 71% FT per 31 mpg/37 GP
Fousseyni Drame (Graduated; Bamako, Mali) - 6.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.1 apg; 48% FG, 46% 3-PT, 66% FT per 21.4 mpg/37 GP
Andrei Savrasov (Graduated; St. Petersburg, Russia) - 5.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.1 apg; 48% FG, 33% 3-PT, 53% FT per 16.4 mpg/20 GP

Preview:
The 2023-24 season was one to remember for the Duquesne Dukes. Many projections did have Duquesne as a sleeper team, but I think few genuinely thought that they could reach the actual summit. During OOC play, Duquesne certainly looked the part of a contender - their only losses were to solid mid-majors in Princeton and Santa Clara as well as a 10 point loss to Nebraska. They drubbed Charleston and defeated both UC Irvine and Bradley who are always good in their respective conferences.

That's not to say the season wasn't met with any challenges. The Dukes began A10 play 0-5, although three of those losses were by two possessions or less and could have definitely gone Duquesne's way. Most importantly, they caught fire when it mattered, winning their final four games of the regular season (including against us) and then winning four games in five days against some of the best - Dayton and VCU. In true A10 fashion, confetti began falling even before the final buzzer sounded in the championship game. It's hard to say how much the extra rest day helped the Dukes, but the A10 tournament is known to always be crazy and unpredictable (look no further than Dayton's struggles - even GW has won it more recently than them!)

It was nice to see Keith Dambrot go out on a high note. When a coach takes a new job, every one says that their goal is to make the NCAA tournament (and even win a game) but few actually manage to accomplish that. At Akron, Dambrot had plenty of successful teams but he was rarely able to win the conference tournament, which is the only way to get to the tournament from the MAC (good luck UMass!). The success of last season was extra special given Dambrot's wife was battling breast cancer in his final year coaching college basketball. Duquesne not only knocked off VCU in the conference championship, but they also defeated BYU in the first round. It was Duquesne's first tournament appearance (and conference tournament championship) since 1977, and the first time they won a game in the NCAA tournament since 1969.

Dambrot's right hand man Dru Joyce III takes over as the new leader in Duquesne's next era. Joyce was teammates with LeBron at St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron, and that continued friendship likely played a role in him getting the full-time gig. He has spent five years as an assistant - the last two at Duquesne, and three years at Cleveland State before that - but that's not a ton of experience overall for a head coach at the A10 level.

Based on that, it's not super surprising to see Duquesne get off to a slow start. Much like their A10 start last year, the Dukes began the year 0-6. I think it was mentioned on here in another thread, but Duquesne did play some challenging games to begin the year. Lipscomb and Princeton are both very good mid-majors, DePaul is improved, and even Milwaukee/South Dakota State are formidable foes. Like GW, they've faced both Hampton and Old Dominion. They lost to the former but notched their first win of the season against the Monarchs. In the past month, they've played their best basketball, knocking off some really solid teams in UC Irvine and Rhode Island (along with Towson, although the Tigers have been somewhat disappointing this year). All three of those wins were by double digits, and those teams averaged just 52 ppg against them. Most recently, Duquesne defeated St. Joe's in overtime.

Going back to the last couple of years under Dambrot, Duquesne has been more of a defense-first team. Even during their losing streak they were still fairly good on that end from what I could tell - it was the offense that held them back. They weren't passing the ball as well as they should, leading to inconsistent outputs (although they have improved on that lately). This year's squad is 92nd nationally in offensive rebound percentage, but despite the frequent second chance opportunities they've generated the offense has been a struggle, largely due to their ineptitude inside the arc. Joyce's squad is just 295th in 2 point percentage, and a disgusting 353rd from the free throw line (at 63%). They shoot quite a few threes and make a decent amount, but that's not something that you can hang your hat on from game to game on a consistent basis.

On the other end though, Duquesne's length has helped them do a good job blocking/contesting shots (68th in block percentage), and they are fairly active in passing lanes. That aggressiveness has often led to fouling issues (310th in defensive free throw rate) but opponents have struggled to finish at the rim against them (27th in 2 point field goal percentage). They are like the anti-Rhode Island along the perimeter defensively - teams have torched Duquesne from distance (37%). Perhaps they are due for some luck in terms of opponent shooting. Most notably, Joyce has really slowed down the tempo this year. With GW being the home team, their ability to dictate tempo (play faster) and get out in transition may be essential if the threes aren't falling tomorrow.

Along with Dambrot's departure, Duquesne also lost a number of key contributors. You look at their FT percentage this year and wonder how much better it would have been had Dae Dae Grant had an additional year of eligibility. Grant was third in the nation in free throw percentage at 94% and also made 83 threes, good for 90th nationally. Jimmy Clark III was the perfect complement, as he was a menace on the defensive end, ranking sixth nationally in total steals while averaging nearly four assists a game. This duo accounted for over 31 ppg last year and played a combined 2263 minutes last year. Fousseyni Drame also filled a specific role - he was always a great defender, could knock down a 3 (46%) and crashed the glass hard (top 250 last year in rebounding). The Dukes notably had a number of forwards that they could rotate in to keep energy levels high throughout a game.

This season, the team has had to rely on a number of transfers which has led to inconsistency. The Dukes benefit from having a balanced attack. Canisius transfer Tre Dinkins actually leads the team in scoring and leads the starting unit into the flow of the offense. Dinkins is also shooting the ball well (team leading 36 makes at 38%). He has been feast-or-famine during conference play thus far. He had 11 against Rhody, but went scoreless against Davidson (a combined 3/18 shooting in those two games). On Wednesday against Joe's, he exploded for 26 points. For GW, there's certainly other players you would prefer to have taking shots than Dinkins. He is not as impactful defensively with a -0.65 defensive box plus minus on EvanMiya.

His backcourt mate is Cam Crawford, who is now onto his third D1 school having previously played at Marshall and Indiana State. The Alabama native is a shooter, as he's made 43% of his distance attempts and 80% of his free throws. His lower overall field goal percentage suggests that he is less comfortable when run off the line so the perimeter defense for GW will have to remain stout. He has been key for Duquesne in their last six games. During that time, he's shot 16/29 (55%) from deep and notably made two clutch FTs on Wednesday to send the Joe's game to overtime. Crawford has also scored somewhere between 9-13 points in that span. Having that kind of consistent production has been vital for the team. While he doesn't do as much in other areas, his shooting has been key.

A third transfer in Jahsean Corbett has given Duquesne a nice balance in offensive shot selection. Dinkins and Crawford spacing the floor has allowed Corbett to slash to the hoop - something he does decently. The Chicago State transfer will take and can make an open three, but his atrocious free throw shooting explains his preference for taking closer-proximity shots. Corbett is 45% from the line on the season (although is 7/10 in his last two games). A hack-a-Shaq strategy may be worth considering depending on how the game goes. It's a credit to Duquesne that they pulled the SJU game out despite Corbett going 0/8 from the field (he was also in foul trouble). Against Davidson and URI, he averaged 21 ppg.

A pair of in-house international talents in Jakub Necas and Halil "Chabi" Barre likely start up front. Necas saw his minutes go up late last year, averaging over 20 mpg in Duquesne's final five contests compared to just 11 mpg for the season. On low usage, he shined - converting on 12/19 (63%) of his shots in those games. He is 0/5 from deep in conference play so far and overall has not really had the breakout that I thought he was going to have coming into the year but he remains a threat to stretch the floor.

Barre meanwhile operates exclusively down low. He started 13 games last year and is 24/33 (73%) from the field this season - making the most of the few field goal attempts he gets per game near the rim. He's not great from the FT line (career 46%) which reveals his limited shooting range but he plays his energy role well. Barre is also a good defender in the paint. He dealt with a lot in his freshman year back in 2023 - first a knee injury and then a scary cardiac-related issue that caused him to collapse during practice. Good to see him be able to return and play at a high level.

Duquesne could get a boost tomorrow from the return of Jake DiMichele, who has been sidelined due to a foot injury since late November. It's hard to believe DiMichele was a walk-on last year. He seemed to come out of nowhere during conference play. For reference, the sophomore played 20 total minutes during OOC play last year. From January onwards, he averaged over 27 minutes per game the rest of the way. He's not the most gifted offensive player (31% from deep, 62% from the line), but he is very active, efficient going downhill, and makes winning plays.

Fellow returners Kareem Rozier and David Dixon were staples in the rotation last year as well. Rozier is a great passer (leads the team in assists) and is an on ball pest but his 5'9" height really limits him closer to the hoop. For his career, he sports the same overall field goal percentage (37.3%) as three point percentage (37.3%) despite taking nearly four attempts per game inside the three point line this year. Rozier has also taken a slight step back from the FT line (doesn't get there that often), but he is very sound with the ball - a big reason why Duquesne is currently first in offensive turnover percentage thus far in A10 play. For every turnover, Rozier has nearly four assists. Overall, he ranks eighth nationally in assist/turnover ratio which leads the A10.

Dixon is a versatile forward who uncharacteristically went 2/3 from distance against St. Joe's, including the game winning dagger. He made as many threes in that game as he had in his first two years at Duquesne combined. Dixon is one of their better rebounders and provides a bit of rim protection down low to boot (78th in blocks per game). He's an efficient 14/20 (70%) from the floor through three A10 contests. The truer stretch forward at his position is Matúš Hronsky, who is fourth on the team in three point makes. Despite an off game against the Hawks (1-9 FG, 0-5 3-PT) he's certainly a guy you want to run off the line.

Finally, two more transfers round out the rotation - both hailing from the Constitution State. Maximus Edwards transferred in from some school called George Washington. He's not had the same impact that he had with the Revs and has been hurt somewhat by a less free-flowing offensive structure. Edwards has seen his minutes cut lately (9 mpg in their last five games) due to spotty shooting - he's just 36% from the field and 19% from deep and in his minutes he hasn't rebounded at the same clip either. Per EvanMiya, Max has the lowest offensive box plus minus on the team. I'd be surprised if he suddenly saw a ton of minutes because of the "revenge game" factor.

Eli Wilborn moves up a level from St. Francis (PA). As a freshman, he averaged nearly 11 and 8 for the Red Flash, starting 27 games. Like Barre, he is extremely efficient around the rim and rebounds at a very high clip. In fact, he's also exactly 24/33 from the field and like Barre he won't take shots beyond a few feet. He's just 47% from the free throw line as well. Wilborn has converted on 12 of his past 13 shots in Duquesne's last four games.

The A10 is very unpredictable this year. To finish towards the top, GW will have to continue to hold serve at home. Duquesne is playing some of their best basketball lately and shouldn't be taken lightly. Per Bart Torvik's time-adjusted rankings, the Dukes rank 66th nationally since conference play started (GW is 52nd). They also rank 2nd nationally in momentum according to Haslametrics. Defensively, MBB will want to limit clean looks from outside and offensively the ball movement will have to continue to be good, especially if Jun is being reintegrated into the offense. GW has played great defense throughout the year, but it feels like a hot shooting game from the opposition is coming at some point. On paper, I think the two teams are comparable at the guard position. Whichever backcourt plays better probably wins the game.

Projected Score: GW 71, Duquesne 65. 70% chance to win (KenPom). Bart Torvik predicts a 64% GW victory. ESPN gives the Revs a 65.9% chance at a W.
 

I don't say it nearly often enough, but thank you DMV Pirananha for your pregame reviews.  They are incredible.

Let's hope for a big noisy crowd and a BIG win

DBJ is warming up with the team but he's in sweats. Not sure what that means regarding his availability.

At least 5 deflections in the first 2 minutes.  Nice.

Max is in. 

Max had 14 total in 3 A10 games.  13 against us in like 4 minutes.

Sometimes the revenge game narrative is real. 

Meanwhile great alley-oop!

Who is guarding Max? 

Very erratic 1 st half.  Solid defense for 10 min with steaks and deflection.  Then we let Max open several times.  Offense struggling to get going