Playing an up tempo offense we have to expect we will not be a shut down defense, but we can certainly expect to be better. I don’t know if the stats back this up but I feel like we have improved on turnovers/sloppiness with the ball.  I don’t know enough about the Xs and Os to decipher what is terrible perimeter defense and what is running into a hot shooting team but clearly the perimeter defense needs to improve.  As impressive as hughley has been on offense, he has been equally disappointing on defense.  He is much better suited for a grind it out, half court offensive scheme.  It seems he can’t keep up.  Max has been disappointing overall.  He can score but his shot selection and inability to finish has hurt this team on multiple occasions. Missing easy lay ups and taking bad shots is not what I expected from an experienced player like him.  Cam, I feel, should no longer start.  I like him off the bench for some spot up 3 point shooting when it’s necessary.  I think he has good value on this team but not in a starting role.  I think it’s time to see what Jake can do as a starter.  If his defense is mediocre it can’t hurt the team any more than how they’ve been playing.  He needs to get comfortable as a regular player on this team.  Jimmy W has been very impressive all season.  He’s a reliable shooter/rebounder/and decision maker on the court.  Necas has really started to realize the talant we all saw 2 years ago. He needs to keep it up and he’ll be a force moving forward.  Big Dave continues to do Big Dave things, we know what we have there and I think we should be satisfied with it.  The biggest wildcard is TG?!?  I agree with Phil95 that it’s not an effort thing but he was dynamic in the first few weeks of the season and has been anything but lately. His play will be the difference between us being a top 7 A-10 or bottom 7. 

Oh, and I love what Dom and Alex give us off the bench.

Hopefully over the next 3 games a regular rotation of players emerges.

duq.dog wrote:

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 have disagree about the announcers and the refs at least.  I enjoyed the commentary.   What was the issue?  They weee complimentary of the Dukes and were as unbiased as anyone can expect from opposing telecast teams.  The refs let them play a little bit.  Not many tiki tack fouls and the flow of the game was enjoyable

Styles1229 wrote:

duq.dog wrote:

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 have disagree about the announcers and the refs at least.  I enjoyed the commentary.   What was the issue?  They weee complimentary of the Dukes and were as unbiased as anyone can expect from opposing telecast teams.  The refs let them play a little bit.  Not many tiki tack fouls and the flow of the game was enjoyable

I agree that the announcers were pretty good… I think especially compared to what we have. There were some issues with homerism on fouls and pronunciations, but other than that I was impressed with both the play by play and color commentary. I especially loved how the broadcast showed a replay any chance they could get during a stoppage in play.

I'm in my mid-fifties & morbidly obese. I stepped off a 14+ hour flight back from Korea on Monday & worked a 15 hour day, most of which was on my feet in a commercial kitchen under considerable stress. I got up Tuesday & did it all over again; same deal yesterday. I don't have trainers & a nutritionist looking out for me & I certainly didn't fly private.

If this was a 4 games in 7 nights west coast NBA swing for a 12-year vet with balky knees, I could get on board with the jet lag/fatigue argument.

These are highly conditioned 19-24 year olds being paid to play basketball. They were dominated on both ends of the court & at least some of that was due to lack of effort, focus, & heart.

The heart breaking part for me is that they don't stink. They are simply playing well below their potential.

Ironduke81 wrote:

Before I say they stink I can assure you that the flight from Pittsburgh to Boise is brutal. I doubt the Dukes chartered the flight. 2-3 stops depending. Did this trip many times. Takes a full day if not two to recover. I suspect the Dukes will be more competitive against Nevada.

townsonkid wrote:

Like, why cant Duquesne be good at anything?  Swimming is the best team.  I know were small school, but we arent exactly competing with Ohio St or USC.
Its December and the hoops team is unwatchable, again.
Hard to believe there are players on this team that helped win the A10 and beat BYU in the tournament.
I'll check in from time to time, but I am basically done with our teams, cant take constant losing.   Its depressing.

Don’t forget bowling!

BluffHunter wrote:

Ironduke81 wrote:

Before I say they stink I can assure you that the flight from Pittsburgh to Boise is brutal. I doubt the Dukes chartered the flight. 2-3 stops depending. Did this trip many times. Takes a full day if not two to recover. I suspect the Dukes will be more competitive against Nevada.

Looks like they flew private.
https://x.com/duqmbb/status/1998130776467292550?s=46

Yeah. It was.a Delta charter; had to stop in Omaha to refuel. They did go out on Monday. Don’t think the Dukes can use the travel as any kind of excuse.

Look, non-conference is pre-season. But, back when this team beat BYU by a-lot, it was Jake as a starter, along with Necas and Dixon. DJ, in practice, thinks other kids are great at practice, but game day players do perform and do win. Jake isn't flashy in practice, but just wins at game time. Necas is the most experienced player but nothing is set up for him to score. Hugley should never attempt a 3, because,  he can't rebound back behind the arch . Max was rookie of the year in the  A-10 as a point guard, but, on this team the last two years he is over-looked. I would like to see DJ consider starting  Jake,  Necas, Crawford, Dixon, and Max at point, Why?  Why not.. Max, Jake, and Necas can penetrate the paint and score  enough to open up a dish inside to Dixon. Crawford will then be open beyond the arch for open 3's. On defense, Necas is solid, Jake has vast court vision to step in to passing lanes and create turnovers,  and Max is very quick and pulls rebounds down like a strong forward. And Dixon has a knack for stealing the ball.. Steals are game changers.  At this point in the season, it's time to shake things up. It's time to think Jake and Max should be starters because this team needs some real game day defense, and players that can score inside  and, or, take an open shot and score. This isn't a bad team, in fact, it's full of talent. Just start these kids, and the game will likely change. Just imagine, if Tre Clark was used as just a bench player those 2 years instead of a starter?  All the difference in the world. 

1.  Send the AI information to Dru.
2.  What is disheartening to me is Dru learned under Dambrot who preached Defense first. What happened?