A good team does not lose this game at home.

We looked to have reversed our fortunes against them until two late losses last season. I think we'll get back on the right track tonight though. Tempo will be a big part of the game. They are one of the slower teams in the conference, and teams that push the pace have had success against them. My numbers look pretty similar to BartTorvik, Dukes 83 Bonnies 76.

phil95 wrote:

I watch every Boonies game that's available to stream or on TV. Nobody has really had a solution for him so far. Dixon, Hugley, & Necas need to be aggressive on defense but avoid foul trouble. If Frank gets to Bus or Milosevic, he will eat them alive.

The good news is that for the last 3 weeks, Mitchell has usually been a one-man show. SBU team morale sucks right now & the 2 guards have been very inconsistent.

PhoenixRising2 wrote:

A couple of points....
The Bonnies only go 7 players deep; we need to pressure them all night and use our depth.
Frank Mitchell is a load at 6'8" 270 lbs; the Dukes should have enough size and strength to not let him control the game. The Dukes can't let him get 4 or 5 offensive rebounds.
Beyond Mitchell, the Bonnies start 3 guys that are 5'11", 6'2" and 6'3".  Two of these guys rarely get to the foul line; just hanging on the perimeter.
This is really unlike a Mark Schmidt team in that they are bad on defense (last in conference play with a 121.0 defensive efficiency).  The Dukes will get open looks; just got to knock down a few 3's.
 

 

phil95, would you aggressively double him in certain spots on the floor?  Or just try to play him straight up and trust that he won’t do too much damage; while tightly guarding the other 4 Bonnies.

I would work hard to deny entry passes while bringing backside help after the catch. Last time I checked, he hadn't taken a 3pt shot all season; his range doesn't really go beyond 17 feet. However, he still needs lots of attention out there because he bully-drives to the hole well  & you have to pressure him as a passer or he will pick you apart.

There aren't too many mid-major centers/big forwards with such a high usage rate, 3ish assists per game & a positive A/TO ratio. A-10 teams have been trying to take this part of the game away from him & it is screwing up SBU's offense.

He has one of the highest offensive rebounding rates in the country. As a result, he feasts when opponents play zone. He is a clever & powerful finisher with great touch. If you wanted to build a slightly undersized center to give Dixon fits, he would be the prototype.

He doesn't shoot that many FTs for a guy who does traditional post things on the offensive end. He has struggled all season to keep his percentage in the high 60s. 

Last edited by phil95 (1/28/2026 6:00 pm)

As the late great Jerry Glandville said hey  this is the NFL (Not For Long)Coach Dru got schooled by Mark Schmidt. This team has talent. Coaching horrific.Waste of a season. Come Sunday RI Archie Miller.  Terrible & embarrassing.

Just a pathetic team, and it all starts with the head coach. Should've gone all out with an outside hire after Dambrot left and we we're coming off a historic tournament run. Dru isn't it. 

Last edited by DuqLaw95 (1/28/2026 9:21 pm)

Well, you got give a lot of credit to Mark Schmidt.  He has to be one of the top 10 coaches in the mid-majors.   

Simply a pathetic performance by Duquesne.  I had hopes that this team might be able to put together a decent season, but they regressed badly tonight.  Watching this team repeatedly dribble into traffic, make terrible passes, or just dribble the ball out of bounds is too painful to watch. Failing to get back on defense, picking up fouls because they aren’t in defensive positions,  clueless defense, chasing quicker guards away from the hoop rather than making them shoot the ball, only to allow them easy penetration.  It looked very much like the first ten games of the season when everyone took turns getting to the basket against Duquesne. 
I had seen enough at halftime.  Such a careless, sloppy effort.  Did they even prepare for this game?  This team is lost!

I rarely post negatively, but our defense against their guards was woeful.

Levon, that is a fair point about the Bonnies' record.    But, they have injuries, a short bench, and if I heard it correctly, three of their starters play 30 minutes a game.  Plus, they do not have the talent level which the Dukes possess.  We should have worn them out.  They dug a deep hole at the start and found a way to beat us on our home court.  Coaching has to explain part of that.

I don’t need a history of Mark Schmidt as a coach.  I’m talking about this year, and a lot of other teams seem to be able to overcome the genius!

levon1975 wrote:

Simply a pathetic performance by Duquesne.  I had hopes that this team might be able to put together a decent season, but they regressed badly tonight.  Watching this team repeatedly dribble into traffic, make terrible passes, or just dribble the ball out of bounds is too painful to watch. Failing to get back on defense, picking up fouls because they aren’t in defensive positions,  clueless defense, chasing quicker guards away from the hoop rather than making them shoot the ball, only to allow them easy penetration.  It looked very much like the first ten games of the season when everyone took turns getting to the basket against Duquesne. 
I had seen enough at halftime.  Such a careless, sloppy effort.  Did they even prepare for this game?  This team is lost!

Thanks, this a spot on analysis of last night, and this team. I want to remain positive on this team and Coach but it's wearing me down. The lack of discipline, the lack of focus, the lack of fundamental coaching was on full display last night. We will see how the rest of the season plays out but as of right now this season is a major disappointment for me. Maybe some of you guys feel differently, but to me this is totally on the coaches. Same issues and mistakes over and over again with this team. Dru, was gifted a golden opportunity but so far he's blowing it.

"A team is a reflection of its leadership" - Ryan Setzer