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 Nevada on 12/13/25

https://x.com/roccomiller8/status/1931113483141325264

Dukes announced their Conference pairings.

HOME: George Washington, La Salle, VCU, Richmond

AWAY: Joe's, George Mason, Loyola, Fordham

HOME & AWAY: SLU, Dayton, URI, Bonnies, Davidson

duq.dog wrote:

Dukes announced their Conference pairings.

HOME: George Washington, La Salle, VCU, Richmond

AWAY: Joe's, George Mason, Loyola, Fordham

HOME & AWAY: SLU, Dayton, URI, Bonnies, Davidson

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

Do we know when the schedule will be finalized? 

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?

https://x.com/WiscyBusiness/status/1948455578667299059?t=yQonnHu6Cls7udUVp1Mzmw&s=19

https://x.com/WiscyBusiness/status/1949923861610315935?t=JXhGPgjN_XChJttdpr9jlA&s=19

https://x.com/TheBluffBlog/status/1950229670957633725?t=3yCmZbZhtf7YRLmO2vsfHw&s=19

https://goduquesne.com/news/2025/7/29/mens-basketball-dukes-set-2025-non-conference-schedule.aspx

https://www.instagram.com/p/DMtWuINMiHS/?igsh=MW5pZzJ0cmZwc2M3cQ==


Full non conference schedule posted.

Last edited by DuqBlue (7/29/2025 5:57 pm)

I asked Microsoft CoPilot AI about this schedule.  Here is the response; take it for what it is worth.

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

Last edited by PhoenixRising2 (7/29/2025 8:19 pm)

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.