Respectable loss. Energy level was there, just eventually overwhelmed by a much better team.

DennisC91 wrote:

duq81 wrote:

DennisC91 wrote:

Instead Dayton's making all the 3s. Oh well.

Hard to win basically playing 3 on 5.

Who's the other non-entity besides Maceo?

Combo of Dunn-Martin and Norman at the 2 spot. Combined 5 points on 1-8 shooting from 3. Can’t beat a top 5 team on the road with that production.

PhoenixRising2 wrote:

DennisC91 wrote:

duq81 wrote:

Hard to win basically playing 3 on 5.

Who's the other non-entity besides Maceo?

Combo of Dunn-Martin and Norman at the 2 spot. Combined 5 points on 1-8 shooting from 3. Can’t beat a top 5 team on the road with that production.

Well, like the announcer said, we needed to make 3s to have any shot of pulling off the upset. Those two are way too inconsistent. But four in double-figures just the same and still a loss because Dayton has way too many weapons. They're No. 5 in the country for a reason. 

luckymcd wrote:

We have already proven we can play with them, we just have to execute the gameplan fpr 40 minutes instead of 20 minutes. They are a big team, but not a physical team, and not an especially good defensive team. Our guards can beat them off the dribble, our bigs can get position inside, we can beat them on the glass (we did in the first game). They are a damn good team, so it's going to take a great game to beat them, but we don't need heroes. We need five guys playing as one unit on both sides of the ball.

I expect us to take it right to them and for it to be a competitive game. I think they'll get a few big plays and get the crowd into it though. I don't think we're mature enough as a team to handle that type of environment. I fear we'll either go into a hole completely or just try to shoot our way back into it. I'll say Dayton 77 Duquesne 66, but of course I hope I'm wrong.

Like I said, I wished I was wrong, but I think my prediction was spot on this time. I'm disappointed in the loss, but happy the Dukes played up to their talent level. Dayton is just a damn good team, and playing in their place is really damn hard.

DennisC91 wrote:

Respectable loss. Energy level was there, just eventually overwhelmed by a much better team.

I don't think the Atlanta cable gods will ever allow me to see this one. I tried so many ways to see it. Very frustrating.

I am happy to hear that you felt good about the energy level. If they can keep that up, they will win some of the next 5.

Steele is not perfect but he plays hard, scores pretty well, & is a large presence. He is easily in the top half of 3rd-option bigs for the A-10. It should be interesting to see if Amari, Rotroff, Ellis, and/or Harris can replace or exceed his production next season. If two of those gents pan out as well as Steele has this year it would make for a very formidable A-10 frontcourt. 

phil95 wrote:

DennisC91 wrote:

Respectable loss. Energy level was there, just eventually overwhelmed by a much better team.

I don't think the Atlanta cable gods will ever allow me to see this one. I tried so many ways to see it. Very frustrating.

I am happy to hear that you felt good about the energy level. If they can keep that up, they will win some of the next 5.

Steele is not perfect but he plays hard, scores pretty well, & is a large presence. He is easily in the top half of 3rd-option bigs for the A-10. It should be interesting to see if Amari, Rotroff, Ellis, and/or Harris can replace or exceed his production next season. If two of those gents pan out as well as Steele has this year it would make for a very formidable A-10 frontcourt. 

The perimeter is the problem. You're solid at the 4 and 5, and Baylee is very nice as the third big. You're solid at the 1, although it would be nice to be able to rest him occasionally without giving up too much. We have to live with what we have at the other spots, but they will have serious competition next year. Roesing is a deadly shooter, and he's not going to stay on the bench if the competition is going 2-12 from the field. Acuff is an outstanding all around player who will push for playing time. Also, Andre Harris may be more of a 4 than Baylee or Mike are, and if we're not getting production from the 3 spot, I can see KD playing Harris at the 4, while Marcus slides to the 3, giving us a very formidable front line. Any additional contributions from Rotroff and/or Kelly would be a nice bonus. Playing time at the 2 and 3 will be up for grabs. Hopefully, the competition will bring out the best in these guys. I'm still fairly optimistic about next year, but the competition in the A10 will be stiff. Got to have more depth, and have to get more consistent production from the 2 and 3 spots, either from the guys who are here, or the newcomers. Guys need to bust their tails this summer.

Sin may have had his best performance of the year; a really strong effort. Marcus, Mike and Baylee really had very good games both individually and collectively; loved the interior ball movement and overall decision making. Let’s carry those positives forward to Olean; it won’t be any tougher than playing a top 5 Dayton team on the road.

We have a bad habit of playing to the level of the competition. So when we play really good teams we play well but can't get over the hump. When we play mediocre teams we play mediocre and win some and lose some. If we can play the way we played both games against Dayton in the remaining four games we have a good chance of going 4-0 and carrying some momentum into the tournament and hopefully postseason.

The Dukes had 4 guys in doubl-figures, three with 17 or more points, very low turnover rate, more steals, rebounding was close, and not a major factor in the outcome; so Dayton just had more weapons in the fight; nothing to be ashamed of; just move on to the next one!

levon1975 wrote:

The Dukes had 4 guys in doubl-figures, three with 17 or more points, very low turnover rate, more steals, rebounding was close, and not a major factor in the outcome; so Dayton just had more weapons in the fight; nothing to be ashamed of; just move on to the next one!

Losing to Dayton is nothing to be ashamed of, just about everyone who has played them this year has lost. The shame comes in not matching the effort we bring against Dayton to other teams. If we had we'd be sitting in second place in the conference and likely be in position to go to the big dance. Hopefully we bring that same effort in the remaining four games. That will put us in position to go to the NIT, or even better if we catch some breaks in the conference tournament. This team has the talent to take it all in Brooklyn, it just has to play up to its talent level, which it hasn't done very often in the last several weeks.

CLK wrote:

The season is not over.  The Dukes can still finish with 20 + wins this season. While some fans may give up on this team and coach, I don't believe this team has given up on themselves.  It is clear, however, that the team will have to create their own energy, faith and determination, as they will not be able to draw any from the negative doubting fan base.  The Dukes need to put this quote on their tennis shoes: "Our faith is greater than your doubt".  Let's finish strong guys. 

I can't speak for anyone other than myself, but I have not given up on this team. The problems arise when they don't bring the same effort against GW or George Mason or an underachieving VCU that they do against Dayton. Having seen the two Dayton games, they can go 4-0 the rest of the way, but if they don't play up to their talent level they can go 0-4.

The fan base is today what it has been for years. The loyal fans still give them everything they have. The students still show up for big games. Everyone else is waiting to see the wins come before they show up. The sad thing is it's probably too late for this year (especially without a true home), but finishing strong will bring the fans next year.

duq81 wrote:

I don't think anyone is really disappointed that they lost to Dayton. I just think that the game really reminded us of where we fall short, because our best players played so well in the game, exposing the weakness of the guys who have largely struggled all season. Because Maceo is just a freshman, and suffered a terrible personal loss, I think most are willing to give him a pass for his struggles, and expect for him to take a step forward next year. For the guys at the 2, who are older, not so much. No point in bashing them, but it's kinda approaching do or die time for them. We can't reach our goals with shooting guards barely making a third of their shots. Competition is coming, they will either step up, or be pushed aside. Would help if we could keep TDM to about 15-20 minutes a game coming off the bench. That is where he excels. Because we don't have any other answers, he's playing 25 minutes a game. That's too many. He's a spark off the bench, not a main cog.

Agreed completely.