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⏳ Countdown to Dukes Tip-Off vs. Niagara Last edited by PhoenixRising2 (8/02/2025 8:23 am) Dukes will be part of a multi-team event hosted by Villanova. Dukes will play at Villanova and host both Sacred Heart and Queens. As an eastern Pennsylvanian (at least now) I like to see this. It's a long shot we'll pick up a win, but you can't win if you don't play. I'd like to bring back as many Eastern 8 games as we can. Of course home and homes are always preferred, but maybe I'm asking for too much. Dukes to play at Boise State Dukes to play at Nevada on 12/13/25 Looks like we're putting together a huge West coast trip, because I'm pretty sure we're going to go to Irvine too. Dukes announced their Conference pairings. Dukes announced their Conference pairings. Thanks, duq.dog Dukes announced their Conference pairings. So no more home and home with Fordham. We’ve been playing Dayton twice a year for as long as I remember and, though I like the “rivalry” and it came in handy when we won the tourney I wouldn’t mind a few years of only playing them once Dukes reported to be receiving $85,000 to play at Boise State. Do we know when the schedule will be finalized? Sacred Heart game here will be on November 7th Thanks for all the updates Phoenix. Is the tweet you linked enough to add a date to the Boise State game or are you looking for more confirmation? Thanks for all the updates Phoenix. Is the tweet you linked enough to add a date to the Boise State game or are you looking for more confirmation? Thanks, luckymcd. I missed the date; only saw the money $$$. Updated. Thanks, CLK. Initial post updated with Loyola MD. Last edited by PhoenixRising2 (7/28/2025 6:30 pm) Thanks, CLK. Initial post updated with Stony Brook. Last edited by PhoenixRising2 (7/28/2025 6:31 pm) Thanks, CLK. Initial post updated with Northeastern in Akron. Last edited by DuqBlue (7/29/2025 5:57 pm) Thanks, DuqBlue. I asked Microsoft CoPilot AI about this schedule. Here is the response; take it for what it is worth. Last edited by PhoenixRising2 (7/29/2025 8:19 pm) DU's athletic administration must stop scheduling Cleary, as this matchup offers no opportunity to improve the NET rating. If they have to, they should bite the bullet & schedule a road game against a team from a lesser mid-major conference that is picked to win its regular season crown or conference tournament. Beating any of the preseason favorites from the Horizon, Summit, or the CAA on the road is excellent preparation for the A-10 and, with a bit of luck, could turn out to be a quality win. That would be good for the Dukes & good for the A-10. 10-3 would be my expectation on 7/30/25. But those 2 road games out west, if they can win either of those, 11-2, would be looking good. But cannot have an OOC like last year. Gotta be ready for the opening tip game 1. All but one of those games in December will be tough, I hope home court makes a difference.
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FINAL 25-26 Non-Conference Schedule
2025-26 Men's Basketball Schedule - Duquesne University Athletics
Exhibition at Virginia Tech - October 25th
Niagara (Home) - November 3rd
Sacred Heart (Home) - November 7th
Queens (Home) - November 11th
Villanova (Away) - November 15th
Loyola MD (Home) - November 19th
Northeastern (Akron, OH) - November 22nd
Central State (Home) - November 26th (D-II opponent)
William and Mary (Home) - December 2nd
Stony Brook (Home) - December 6th
Boise State (Away) - December 10th
Nevada (Away) - December 13th
Canisius (Home) - December 22nd
Cleary (Home) - December 27th (D-II opponent)
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Re: FINAL 25-26 Non-Conference Schedule
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Re: FINAL 25-26 Non-Conference Schedule
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Re: FINAL 25-26 Non-Conference Schedule
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Re: FINAL 25-26 Non-Conference Schedule
HOME: George Washington, La Salle, VCU, Richmond
AWAY: Joe's, George Mason, Loyola, Fordham
HOME & AWAY: SLU, Dayton, URI, Bonnies, Davidson
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Re: FINAL 25-26 Non-Conference Schedule
duq.dog wrote:
HOME: George Washington, La Salle, VCU, Richmond
AWAY: Joe's, George Mason, Loyola, Fordham
HOME & AWAY: SLU, Dayton, URI, Bonnies, Davidson
As an aside, what a horrible graphic the Dukes pulled together for this announcement. •
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Re: FINAL 25-26 Non-Conference Schedule
duq.dog wrote:
HOME: George Washington, La Salle, VCU, Richmond
AWAY: Joe's, George Mason, Loyola, Fordham
HOME & AWAY: SLU, Dayton, URI, Bonnies, Davidson
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Re: FINAL 25-26 Non-Conference Schedule
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Re: FINAL 25-26 Non-Conference Schedule
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Re: FINAL 25-26 Non-Conference Schedule
luckymcd wrote: •
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Re: FINAL 25-26 Non-Conference Schedule
CLK wrote: •
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Re: FINAL 25-26 Non-Conference Schedule
CLK wrote: •
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Re: FINAL 25-26 Non-Conference Schedule
CLK wrote: •
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Re: FINAL 25-26 Non-Conference Schedule
Full non conference schedule posted.
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Re: FINAL 25-26 Non-Conference Schedule
I really like the road schedule; if the Dukes can get one or two wins, it will help immensely in their NET Rating and help the conference potentially get more than the single auto bid.
Hard to get excited about the home schedule. Not a single game that most people will go out of their way to see. I don't like having 2 D-2 teams on this schedule, but I guess that is the reality of today's scheduling nightmare. With the expected marginal strength of schedule for this home slate, the Dukes really have no room for error.
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Re: FINAL 25-26 Non-Conference Schedule
Duquesne’s 2025–26 non-conference schedule lands somewhere in the **moderate difficulty** range — not a gauntlet, but definitely more ambitious than a cupcake slate.
### 🔍 Key Strength Indicators
- **Villanova (Away, Nov 15)**: Easily the toughest test. Big East pedigree, strong transfers, and a hostile road environment.
- **Mountain West Road Swing**:
- **Boise State (Dec 10)**: 26 wins last season, consistently competitive.
- **Nevada (Dec 13)**: Rebuilding, but still a solid mid-major with transfers like Tayshawn Comer.
### 🏠 Home Games (Manageable but not pushovers)
- **Queens & Sacred Heart**: Mid-tier mid-majors, part of the Villanova MTE.
- **William & Mary, Stony Brook, Loyola (Md.)**: Respectable programs, but not top-tier threats.
- **Canisius, Central State, Cleary**: Lower-tier opponents — likely confidence boosters.
### 🧭 Neutral Site Game
- **Northeastern (Akron, Nov 22)**: Played at LeBron James Arena, where Duquesne is 6–0 since 2018. Northeastern’s recent form is middling.
---
### 📊 Overall Difficulty Rating: **6.5/10**
- **Pros**: Road games vs. Villanova, Boise State, and Nevada add bite. MTE format gives structure.
- **Cons**: No Power Five home games, and several opponents are sub-200 NET teams.
If the Dukes want to build a strong résumé for March, they’ll need to capitalize on those road games and avoid any slip-ups at home.
Here’s a predictive snapshot of Duquesne’s 2025–26 non-conference opponents using metrics like KenPom, Bart Torvik (T-Rank), and ESPN’s BPI where available. These rankings reflect expected team strength heading into the season — not just last year’s record.
Opponent | KenPom Rank | T-Rank | ESPN BPI | Notes
------------------|-------------|--------|----------|--------------------------------------------
Villanova | 59 | 61 | 58 | Big East contender; toughest test
Boise State | 77 | 79 | 81 | MWC road game; experienced squad
Nevada | 87 | 88 | 90 | Rebuilding but talented transfers
Northeastern | 190 | 193 | 188 | Neutral site game in Akron
Niagara | 230 | 228 | 232 | MAAC opener; tipped to finish mid-pack
Queens | 255 | 256 | 258 | ASUN opponent; MTE matchup
Sacred Heart | 207 | 208 | 210 | MAAC team; part of MTE
William & Mary | 207 | 207 | 209 | Solid mid-major; home game
Stony Brook | 246 | 245 | 248 | Low preseason projections
Loyola (Md.) | ~280 | ~282 | ~285 | Patriot League team
Canisius | ~270 | ~273 | ~275 | MAAC team; depth piece
Central State | N/A | N/A | N/A | Non-Division I opponent
Cleary | N/A | N/A | N/A | Non-Division I opponent
Rankings are approximate and based on preseason projections fromWarren Nolan,TeamRankings, and reported schedule analysis •
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Re: FINAL 25-26 Non-Conference Schedule
I feel the same about scheduling Central State. Surely, some low mid-majors that are anticipating big seasons would love the opportunity to polish their resumes with a home game against an A-10 team.
I HATE the annual trip to Akron. The program incurs significant costs while missing out on another potential home game & doesn't even do something worthwhile, such as raising funds for a worthy cause. As a DU fan, I couldn't care less about KD's or Dru's ties to Akron or St Vincent-St. Mary. Further, Lebron doesn't seem to be sending any kind of windfall DU's way.
If a game is being played in Akron, why not go for the gusto & schedule Akron? They have had a hell of a run the last few years & are likely to keep the ball rolling. Not playing your alma mater, in my opinion, is soft.
Still, if this must happen, they should be playing a team of at least Towson's 24-25 quality rather than this year's matchup with Northeastern, which is likely to have a KenPom rating south of 200. Losing that game at a neutral site will cause both the Dukes & the conference to suffer unnecessarily.
Aside from these issues, I feel good about this non-con slate. There should be a bunch of wins there. Stealing 2 out of 3 from Villanova, Boise, & Nevada would go a long way toward making the Dukes a legit bubble team, should they win 13 or 14 A-10 regular season games paired with 2 A-10 tournament victories. Dare to dream! Winning the A-10 tournament is a very hard way to go dancing!
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