Game of the Day
Massachusetts Minutemen vs Duquesne Dukes – 3PM ET
Coming off their best win of the year, the Massachusetts Minutemen (10-13, 3-8 A10) will look to continue their good fortune on the road against the Duquesne Dukes (15-9, 5-6 A10). Jim Ferry and his squad are coming off a heartbreaking loss at the hands of a very good Dayton team. The Dukes are still lurking in a deep A10 conference, and a win on Sunday will only help them gain much needed traction.
The Minutemen are coming off a surprising upset against VCU, in which they were an eleven point underdog. This only proves Derek Kellogg’s squad cannot be overlooked. They are led by a backcourt tandem of Donte Clark and Trey Davis who are averaging a combined 18.2 points per game. UMass will need to control the tempo of the game much like they did against VCU if they even want a chance.
Jim Ferry has assembled one of the best Duquesne teams we’ve seen in a while. That being said, they are 5-6 in the A10 and need a win desperately if they want to stay in the hunt. One thing they have going for them is they are playing at home, where they are 10-2. The Dukes are led by senior guard Derrick Colter, who averages 18.4 points per game. Another name to look out for is Micah Mason. The sharpshooting guard is averaging 16.8 PPG, shooting 42% from three. The Dukes love to push the tempo, and will look to wear out UMass early.
While the season is most likely over for UMass, the Dukes still have a shot to make things interesting in the A10. The Minutemen are riding high after an upset against VCU, but they are 3-5 on the road this year. I see UMass hanging around for a while, but eventually the tempo will wear them down and the Dukes will grab the dub. It should be a fun one in Pittsburgh.