Entering this season, the Duquesne men’s basketball team was selected to finish dead last in the Atlantic 10. But for fans who haven’t been paying attention, it may be a surprise to hear Duquesne is one of the better teams in the conference and has a real shot at making a deep run in the A-10 conference championship.
Along with posting a 20-win season for just the third time in the last 42 years, Duquesne has had a season chock-full of broken records. There have been numerous high points, from tying the school record for most home wins in a single season (16) to head coach Keith Dambrot earning his 500th career win.
A successful regular season that earned the Dukes a 20-11 overall record and a 10-8 conference record has helped prove to some fans who were sleeping on Duquesne that this team is better than what was initially thought possible. That this team has blown its preseason expectations out of the water.
“I think we kind of have proved them wrong,” graduate forward Austin Rotroff said. “I don't know offhand what our conference record was, but I know that we felt like we could have won more games. There were ones that we lost a lead or something. So those still leave a sour taste in our mouths. We want to show that we are one of the top-tier teams in this league this year. And maybe our record didn't show that because we lost a couple of games.”
One of the games that left a “sour taste” in Duquesne’s mouth was the final regular season game against Fordham. If they beat Fordham, the Dukes had the opportunity to snag the No. 4 seed. But the Dukes lost, and in turn, Duquesne earned the No. 6 seed heading into the A-10 tournament. Duquesne will have a chance for revenge, as there is a potential meeting between Fordham and Duquesne in the second round.
“It's ironic that we play Fordham again,” Dambrot said. “When you look back at the game, it seemed like a big deal, but it turned out that it's pretty similar to what we would have got the other way, too.”
Although Dambrot already has it made up in his mind that Duquesne will face Fordham again, first, the Dukes will need to get through the winner between the No. 11-seed La Salle Explorers and the No. 14-seed Rhode Island Rams, two teams the Dukes have beaten already this season.
“They're all the same for us,” Dambrot said. “If you sit there and look at Rhode Island’s games, they've been in almost every game. And La Salle has got good pop in the backcourt. They're a little bit different, both teams, but we pretty much know what they're going to do.”
“We're thankful for the bye,” forward Joe Reece said. “I think whether it's two games or one game, having the ability to just rest and prepare for that game will be helpful but more so, just locking down defensively and staying consistent. I think if we stay consistent, we'll be all right.”
Reece had two of his best games of the season against La Salle and Rhode Island. Against Rhode Island, he posted 18 points, and against La Salle, Reece scored a career-high 26 points.
“I got involved very early, and I thank my guards for that,” Reece said. “But these upcoming games, I feel like it’s just a completely new season. It’s a wonderful conference, and everybody’s going to give it their all. We’re all extremely excited, and we’re looking forward to this big-time opportunity.”
But the A-10 championship is completely different from the regular season. Only four times has a team won four consecutive games to win the championship (Xavier in 2004 and 2006, VCU in 2015 and Saint Louis in 2019), and Duquesne will need to do exactly that. Duquesne has gone on a four-game win streak twice in the regular season, which gives the Dukes hope for the A-10’s.
“It's just a matter of whether we can play four good games,” Dambrot said. “We're capable of it. We've shown that. I don't think some teams can win four games. That's clear — they can't play four good games in a row. It'd be really difficult for them, but they can win one game. Anybody can win one game.”
The A-10 is a wide-open field. Although Duquesne finished as the No. 6 seed, it could play in their favor. Only three of the past 16 regular season champions have gone on to win the postseason championship. And eight different schools have won the past 12 A-10 championships.
“It's no different from the Big Ten or ACC tournaments,” Dambrot said. “In the good leagues, there are a lot of teams that could win the tournament. I think there's probably seven teams that could win the A-10 tournament.”
Although this Duquesne squad does not feature a single player who has played in the A-10 tournament previously, they are still confident and thankful for the opportunity.
“We need to just focus on a new season,” Rotroff said. “Everybody's 0-0 coming into this week, and it's one and done. We self-reflected a lot, but we’ve got business to take care of starting Wednesday. Excited for the opportunity, definitely has a different mindset.”
Because people counted out Duquesne before the season even started, it makes their trip through the A-10 tournament a bit easier. When you’ve already exceeded every expectation set by fans, there isn’t as much pressure put on the Dukes to succeed in the A-10 tournament.
“I think every time you're in a one-and-done situation, whether you're the best team or the worst team, there's still pressure,” Dambrot said. “I'm sure these guys feel pressure about winning in the tournament, but I think everybody's got pressure. It’s just who handles pressure. Just trying to be as even-keeled and make sure the equilibrium is nice and steady.”
Regardless of what the expectations for the Dukes may be, Dambrot is confident in Duquesne’s ability to make a deep run.
“With the new format, it's not that difficult with the day off in between,” Dambrot said. “It's not like playing four or five games in a row. It's two games, then sit, then two games. I think as the tournament goes on, we have a little bit of an advantage because we have pretty good depth. I don't know if it helps you early in the tournament, but it helps you later in the tournament because we can play 10 or 11 guys.”
First Published: March 7, 2023, 1:15 p.m.
