2020 could not have started better for the Duquesne Dukes, and last week is only the beginning of what Duquesne hopes to be a strong season in A10 play.
It has been a fascinating past two weeks for the Dukes. After starting the season 10-0, they went on to drop their last two non-conference games against UAB and Marshall. And how do they respond in their first week of A10 play? They defeat what was a hot Saint Louis team, and on Sunday defeated Davidson for the first time in program history.
The past few weeks have also paved way for the emergence of Marcus Weathers, who is averaging 20.6 points in his last five games. This production is coming from a guy who did not post a 20+ point game all of last season.
Yet while Weathers has been playing big as of late, the offensive production is still greatly distributed, as 6 players are averaging over 9 points-per-game. Keith Dambrot has found a rotation that seems to be working very nicely, and his scoring offense is currently 4th in the conference.
Defense and Looking Ahead
But where Duquesne may be having their biggest success may be on the defensive side of the ball. In their game vs. Saint Louis, the Dukes held the Billikens to just 59 points, which was the lowest total for Saint Louis this season. Then on Sunday, they held Jon Axel Gudmundsson, the reigning A10 player of the year, to just 4 points on 2-14 from the field.
And the next couple games on the schedule for Duquesne will have the Dukes favored, as they will be facing off against Saint Joseph’s, George Washington and Fordham in their next three contests. The first two, which will be on the road, will be our first chance to see how the Dukes play in road environments, as those will be their first true road games of the season.
While many may have not seen it coming at the beginning of the season, this Duquesne team has a real opportunity to play themselves into a double-bye in the A10 Tournament this year. Coach Dambrot has this team on a very positive trajectory, and this past week certainly showed the conference that the Dukes are serious contenders.
