Despite tough 3-game test, Duquesne looks to replicate last year's late-season surge

Because the 2023-24 season for the men’s basketball team at Duquesne ended with such exhilarating high notes in March, it’s easy to forget where they were at the end of February.

Exactly where they are this year.

A year ago, Duquesne’s last game in February was a win over La Salle to reach 7-8 in Atlantic 10 play. This year, Duquesne’s last game in February was also a victory over the Explorers (67-62 on Wednesday) to improve to 7-8 in the A-10.

Last year, the Dukes wrapped up at George Mason and VCU, and were at home against George Washington. This year, they’re home versus George Mason on Saturday and VCU on Tuesday, then travel for a road game at Saint Louis on March 8 to conclude the season.

Last year under now retired coach Keith Dambrot, the Dukes won all of those contests to close out the regular season on a four-game win streak that carried all the way through the next four tests at the A-10 Tournament in Brooklyn and even through their first-round NCAA Tournament game against BYU in Omaha.

This year under new coach Dru Joyce III, continuing the symmetry would be a massive accomplishment given the gauntlet they are about to face.

George Mason and VCU are currently tied atop the A-10 standings with matching 13-2 conference records. The Billikens of St. Louis are one of three teams tied for fourth place at 9-6.

“I try not to dive into last year too much because last year was last year. I just try to focus on what we have. We’ve continued to play pretty good basketball,” Joyce III said Friday after practice. “Just seeing how we are progressing and certain guys are playing better, I do expect us to keep trending upward in how we are playing. But (Saturday) is a big test.”

GMU comes to the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse Saturday as perhaps the most improved team in the conference. After finishing in eighth place at 9-9 in ‘23-‘24, head coach Tony Skinn’s club has lost just once since Jan. 4. That was a 70-54 defeat against conference co-leader VCU last weekend.

“They are one of the best defensive teams in the league, if not the best,” Joyce said. “It’ll be a test to see how we handle their ball pressure and their activity. I think that’s key.”

In conference games, George Mason leads the A-10 in fewest points allowed per game (62.7), they are second in field goal percentage allowed (39.4), and they are tops at defending the three-point arc, yielding just 30.3%.

VCU is also stout defensively, and the Rams can score. They lead the A-10 in offense at 78.2 points per game. VCU (277) and SLU (266) are also first and second when it comes to three-pointers made.

“We need to get momentum for the tournament,” forward Matus Hronsky said after the Dukes’ most recent home game against Fordham last week. “This whole stretch until the tournament is really important for us. How are we going to perform? How are we going to prepare for everything? It’s going to be hard. But I really believe in our team. We still have a good team.”

As for the Dukes themselves, they’ve been up and down throughout conference play. They’ve alternated losses and wins for the past six games, dating back to a loss at Richmond on Feb. 5.

“Our losses, we were a couple of possessions off,” leading scorer Tre Dinkins said Friday. “Our defense, our communication, have to be up at an all-time high. Bring the effort every single day, every single play.”

Other current players on this year’s roster share that optimism about recreating last year’s late-season push.

“I still believe, even at our current record, we are one of the best teams in the league,” forward David Dixon said last week. “We have a lot of guys who can score. We have a lot of guys who can handle the ball, assist and facilitate. And we have a strong presence down low. These next few games are going to be a good test for us because it’ll show what the A-10 tournament is going to be about.”

For the Dukes this March, that’ll be about defending a championship. Over the next week, they’ll try to get the best possible seed to do so.

Based on the records of the upcoming opponents, that may be easier said than done.