CLK wrote:

I hope are friend BluffHunter is well.

The odds makers have our Dukes as a 15 point underdog. However, we have some hidden vigorous going for us. Duquesne has yet to play its best basketball. We have seen glimpses, like the first 30 minutes of the Villanova game. Could this be the night the Dukes get it together and pull the upset? Go Dukes 🏀

Hope Bluffhunter is doing well as well. Yes CLK the Dukes have not played near their best basketball by far in my estimation. Hoping to see some strides tonight. Go Dukes!
 

How hard is it going to be to get this game on Roku. I have a Roku box on one of my tvs.

Hello all, thanks for the well wishes. I was traveling abroad and was able to keep up with updating the forum while away, but ever since returning I have been under the weather and caught up in a lot. Got lots of sleep today and hope to be turning a corner to stay up and watch our Dukes turn a corner tonight as well. I'll get the usual stats up momentarily. 

Thanks CLK.

GW, VCU, and SBU all trailing in the second half of their matchups tonight. Close games and still lots of time on the clock to recover.

Man this team is really talented but lazy and sloppy defensively. Never seen a team with this much height give up this many second chances. Guys gotta dig deeper on the defensive end.

Boise hitting NBA threes.

Welcome back BluffHunter. I'm happy to hear you are alright. I'm just getting home tonight and tuning in on Prime. I was hoping to be able to rewind as you can on ESPN+, but it looks like it is just a live stream without rewind. Hopefully the Dukes can come back and help you bounce back as well. 

The one thing I enjoy about away games is hearing different announcers. Boy did these guys suck. They shouldn't even be doing play by play for the local YMCA runs. I'm not sure they've ever watched a game of basketball. 

I try not to be biased about refs. I think I try my best but we are 10 games in now and the Dukes haven't had favorable officiating even once. They get one call favorably for every 5 not. I don't get it. 

Of course they get some average player on his career night. 

What happened to Crawford. It's like he's not even the same guy from last year. Tough to see/understand.

That's all, tough one. 

I am ready to read anybody's best guess about what is going on with Guinyard over the last few games. I have no issue with his effort. He just hasn't had it.

CTS wrote:

Our defense is pathetic. We used to play lock down hard nosed D that disrupted teams. Now we give wide open shots. Really hard getting behind the team this year.

 
I fully agree.

Our championship team won with a defense first mentality.   This team is lacking on defense and certainly can't guard against against the 3 point shot.   All this with a talent level that is equivalent.  Is that the coaching?

It was interesting to hear the announcers comment that Boise St. prided itself on holding opponents to 60 points.

CLK wrote:

indygjm wrote:

CTS wrote:

Our defense is pathetic. We used to play lock down hard nosed D that disrupted teams. Now we give wide open shots. Really hard getting behind the team this year.

 
I fully agree.

Our championship team won with a defense first mentality.   This team is lacking on defense and certainly can't guard against against the 3 point shot.   All this with a talent level that is equivalent.  Is that the coaching?

I asked AI this question, and received this sobering response;

Why Duquesne's Three-Point Shooting Defense Is Struggling in 2025-26

Duquesne's perimeter defense has been a glaring weakness early in the 2025-26 season, ranking 326th nationally in opponent three-point percentage (Opp 3P%), allowing foes to shoot around 35-37% from beyond the arc (well above the national average of ~33%).

This isn't just bad luck—it's a structural issue tied to personnel, scheme, and execution. With a 6-4 record (as of Dec. 11), the Dukes allow 80.0 points per game (314th nationally), and leaky closeouts have fueled too many open looks, especially in losses like the 86-64 blowout at Boise State (where opponents hit 57.1% from three on 12 makes) and the 93-86 upset by Northeastern.

Here's a breakdown of the key factors, based on game logs, KenPom metrics, and early-season analysis:

1. Personnel Limitations: Undersized, Non-Versatile Guards and BigsDuquesne's backcourt—led by Tarence Guinyard (6'6") and Jimmie Williams (6'5")—lacks elite length and lateral quickness to contest perimeter shots effectively. Opponents exploit this with drive-and-kick plays, as our guards often get beaten off the dribble, forcing bigs like John Hugley IV (6'10", but not a switchable defender) to rotate late and leave shooters open.
Inside, rim protectors like David Dixon and Hugley prioritize paint help over perimeter recovery, ranking the team 303rd in defensive block % (6.4%). This leaves wings exposed—evident in the William & Mary loss, where poor rotations led to 27 points off turnovers, many from open threes.

Impact: When teams like Stony Brook or Boise State spread the floor, our vets' age (heavy on seniors/transfers) shows in recovery speed. Early KenPom data pegs Duquesne's defensive eFG% allowed at ~51.8% (bottom-150), inflated by 3s.

2. Scheme Mismatches: Reactive Zone and Inconsistent CloseoutsHead coach Dru Joyce III has leaned on zone looks to mask interior fouls (team ranks 340th in opponent FT rate at 48.6%), but this funnels offenses to the perimeter. The zone sparked a late rally vs. William & Mary but collapses against ball movement, allowing 5+ threes in the first half of multiple games (e.g., 5 vs. Stony Brook).

Man-to-man breakdowns stem from "sloppy closeouts"—as noted in postgame film breakdowns. The Dukes rank 224th in defensive 2PT% allowed (53.8%), but when teams probe inside and kick out, our help defense overcommits, leaving 4-5 feet of space. This was Boise's blueprint: 12-of-21 from deep by exploiting rotations.

3. Execution and Discipline Gaps: Turnovers Feed Transition ThreesDuquesne's own ball security issues (21.2% offensive TO rate, 327th) lead to live-ball turnovers that spark opponent transition—where we've allowed 18+ fast-break points in losses. Guards like Cam Crawford (26.9% personal 3P%, but slow on D) and Williams (erratic passing) compound this by gambling for steals (team Opp Steal % at 12.1%, 314th), opening backdoor threes.

Fatigue plays in: High-pace offense (74 possessions/game) wears down our depth, with bench guards (e.g., Jake DiMichele) logging limited minutes and struggling to contest. Free-throw defense ties in too—hacking inside (340th Opp FT Rate) sends shooters to the line, but missed rotations afterward yield kick-out 3s.

Quantifiable Hit: Opponents average ~8.4 threes made per game (top-200 volume), but at 35%+ efficiency, that's ~25-30 points from deep—directly bloating our 105.8 defensive efficiency (135th per KenPom).

Path Forward
This isn't a talent deficit (our offense ranks 144th in AdjO at 108.6), but a buy-in issue—coach Joyce called it "self-inflicted" post-W&M, emphasizing "jumping off our feet" and erratic D. Early fixes: More "help-and-recover" drills, upping minutes for versatile wings like Jakub Nečas (who's flashed better closeouts), and blending zone with switching schemes.

Usually not a fan of AI responses… but this seems to be pretty spot on to me.