Would be nice to get this one wrapped up early and get some court time for the guys on the end of the bench, 

Dukes have to stay focused this week. Lots of game congestion against decent opponents. 3-0 would be great and should be expected if this is the team we think it is.

Last edited by DukesDan (11/13/2023 10:41 am)

https://pittsburghsportsnow.com/2023/11/12/pitt-and-duquesne-mbb-both-rising-in-respected-kenpom-com-rankings/

https://pittsburghsportsnow.com/2023/11/13/duquesnes-tre-williams-to-be-sidelined-with-injury/

Bummer about Tre. Pitt & DU should be playing each other!

Last edited by phil95 (11/13/2023 11:39 am)

https://twitter.com/DuqMBB/status/1724114751788118148?t=rEmaHeiIgYoL1VC0auOvCA&s=19

We're better than them inside. We're better than them outside. We're better than them offensively. We're better than them defensively. They're susceptible to pressure and we like to press. Their numbers are slightly skewed from playing St. John's, but this should still be a comfortable win for us.

Despite having multiple 7 footers, they're actually a pretty small team. Their starting center is 6'10, but only 190 (just 10 pounds more than Dae Dae). One of their first guys off the bench is a 7'1" transfer from Stanford, but he has more attempted 3s than blocked shots in his career. Another guy off the bench is 7'3", but he only plays 5 minutes a game. On the other hand, their leading scorer is 6'0" and 5 of their 6 leading scorers are 6'4 or shorter. 3 of their leading 5 scorers come off the bench, so if we get off to a hot start we can't lose focus.

This is a good matchup for us and this team seems really hungry to excel. I look for Clark to bounce back, Dae Dae to be his usual self, and Savrasov and the Drames to take advantage of their smaller opponents. I think we'll jump on them early and get a comfortable lead. Then the young guys will get a chance to show what they can do, which might let them back into it just a bit. Curiously, 3 of their last 4 A-10 opponents scored exactly 74, which is the same number they put up on St. John's. So I'll say Dukes 89 Stony Brook 74.

In the jim carey voice from the Mask…..Ssssloppy!!

Much cleaner 2nd half, only 2 TOs.  Hot 3pt shooting.  22 pt win. 

Princeton will offer a different style Wednesday.   A real test.

Last edited by townsonkid (11/13/2023 8:58 pm)

Nobody on the court could guard Jimmy tonight and he knew it. It was a pleasure to watch him blow past a defender and take it to the rack line that. If he continues to avoid foul trouble and gain confidence he could have an Ajax type season .

Dixon had a nice steal to an easy basket but (I hope)  he learned to not show-boat with a crazy dunk that didn't go in. If you get a run-away steal to the basket, just put it in. But, otherwise, Dixon was great tonight. Good win. 

Kareem Rozier was big again last night for Duquesne. He finished with 11 points, 7 assists, F Drame had a double double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.  Dae Dae with 19 points and JIMMY CLARK was just phenomenal again last night.  24 points an 4 steals.  I love the way he drives the ball strong to the hoop.  He can take just about anyone off the dribble and if you sag off of him he will nail the long three point shot with consistancy.  He is playing like the League MVP,  Great team win again.  

BOX SCORE
Men's Basketball vs Stony Brook on 11/13/2023 - Box Score - Duquesne University Athletics (goduquesne.com)

POST GAME INTERVIEWS
Pittsburgh Sports Now on X: "Watch: Duquesne MBB Sounds Off On Third Win Of Season https://t.co/SZiaePJAov via @pghsportsnow @CoachDruJoyce @TreClark_11 https://t.co/G6WOFloyre" / X (twitter.com)
 

I would like to see some 4-5 minute stretches of the following lineup:
-Double Drames
-Savrasov
-Clark
-Dae Dae

I thought Savrasov's overall defense was quite good last night. He sat down in his stance & kept some smalls in front of him, bodied some bigs without fouling, mostly rotated well, & was active on the boards.
KD needs to develop a couple of offensive sets just for him. He is skilled enough to run some offense through. I think this will come in time.

I was impressed with how KD got both Clark & Dae Dae rest. This is going to be a challenging week. I was also happy to see Dae Dae out at the end of the first half with 2 fouls & a lead. In the past, I feel like KD would have left his star player in under those circumstances.

It was nice to see Nichols play & look comfortable. Even 5-7 quality minutes per game from a 4th guard would pay dividends over the course of the season while setting things up for next season. Rozier is playing well but 33 minutes is still too many for him.

Overall, that was an impressive, controlled win. The Dukes handled their business.
Stony Brook has some nice pieces, is well coached, has decent size, & loads of experience. They would not be the last place team in the A-10 this season or last. This is precisely the kind of non-con opponent the last 6 Dukes teams would have beaten only 6 out of 10 times & if they did win, it would have been an unnecessary struggle. The same could be said of Cleveland St. This alone is reason for serious optimism.

Princeton will be a different kind of challenge on short rest. I can't wait to see how the Dukes attack this game.

I think opponents over the next 3 or 4 games will try to slow the Dukes down with some zone and/or junk defenses. Stony Brook probably gave up on this too soon last night after Dae Dae lit them up on 2 consecutive possessions.

Last edited by phil95 (11/14/2023 11:01 am)