Game 20, 2019-20: Duquesne (1/25)

[MikeUMA]

Game 20, nearly the two-thirds point of the season. It's going quickly. Or maybe not so much with this current skid.

Anyway, the Duqies come to town this Saturday. NESNplus gets the TV, ESPN+ will have the stream. 2 PM tip.
(Bundle up and you can catch a men's lacrosse exhibition vs Providence at noon.)

Duq was picked to finish 8th in the league this year, coming off their 7th place finish last season, 10-8 in the league, 19-13 overall. The 10 wins was Duq's most since 2010-11.

This year they're 15-3 / 5-1. They picked up 13 votes in the last AP poll (tied for 37th). They started the season 10-0, albeit against a moderately soft non-conference schedule. They do have decent A-10 wins over SLU and Davidson, but stumbled yesterday at Rhody, 77-55.
https://goduquesne.com/news/2020/1/22/m ... -five.aspx

In true away games, they're 2-1, all of those conference games (at SJU and GW were the wins).

A look at the roster...

• Marcus Weathers (6'5 215 RS Jr F) leads them with 14.3 ppg and 8.1 rpg. The PPG is 11th in the league, RPG 6th. He shoots 60% from the floor, almost all two-pointers.
• All-Name Team member Sincere Carry (6'1 180 So G) adds 11.0 ppg and 3.6 rpg, and leads in assists with 4.4 apg. His A:TO ratio is 1.5. If you're gonna travel, do it sincerely.
• Michael Hughes (6'8 240 RS Jr C) adds 10.1 / 6.9. He transferred to follow Coach Dambrot to Duq from Akron.
• Baylee Steele (6'11 240 Grad C) does 9.3 / 5.1. He had bounced around: Eastern Mich - Utah Valley (WAC) - Duq.
• Tavian Dunn-Martin (5'8 155 RS Jr G) adds 9.2 / 2.1. He was also the league's 6th Man of the Year last season, and also transferred from Akron. Two-thirds of his shots are 3s, and he hits 36%.
• Maceo Austin (6'5 190 Fr G) does 8.7 / 4.1
• Lamar Norman Jr. (6'3 180 So G) adds 5.3 / 1.9

Then it trails off in production

Weathers / Carry / Hughes / Austin have been consistent starters all year. Norman started the last 6 games in place of Dunn-Martin.

Duq is in the middle of the pack in offensive production, 8th in the league at 66.8 ppg (league games only). They're 3rd in D at 62.8. That could be trouble for us if we have more of our offensively-challenged stretches. In shooting % terms, they're 3rd best in both offense and defense, while we're #11 on offense and #13 in defense. From 3, both teams are at the top of the league in %, we have a slight edge.

On the glass they've got a +0.5 margin, versus our -6.7, by far the worst in the league, 2.5 worse than Fordham at #13. Yikes.

Duq is by far the leader in blocks, at 6.83 per game. Hughes leads the league at 4.0, Weathers is 5th at 1.7.

Notebook: Home games are a weird concept for them this year. Their usual home, the Palumbo Center, is being renovated. Their home games are scattered around Pittsburgh, at the Penguins' building, and the home gyms for Robert Morris and La Roche University. The renovated building will get a new name, and is supposed to be ready for next season.
https://goduquesne.com/news/2018/10/22/ ... ation.aspx

[MikeUMA]

Duq game notes: https://goduquesne.com/news/2020/1/24/m ... umass.aspx

[LS71]

^^

Home games are a weird concept for them this year. Their usual home, the Palumbo Center, is being renovated. Their home games are scattered around Pittsburgh, at the Penguins' building, and the home gyms for Robert Morris and La Roche University. The renovated building will get a new name, and is supposed to be ready for next season.

Reminds me of when the Cage was being renovated and UMass played in the Springfield Civic Center during the mid 70s.

One of the games that stands out in my memory was a UMass-Duquesne game...Norm Nixon vs Alex Eldridge. Norm went hungry that day cuz Alex ate his lunch.

[TheOFFSeason]

^
Nixon and Eldridge probably played against each other at the Civic Center but I do not think it was during the Cage renovation as I’m pretty sure that was in ‘84 or ‘85

[LS71]

^They definitely did play at the Civic Center, but you're right about the dates of the renovation.

UMass played them there in 1975 and 1977. I'm thinking the game I'm referring to was the one in 1977 when Alex was a junior and Norm was a senior.

https://umasshoops.com/wiki/doku.php?id ... t_duquesne

[Berkman]

There was a time when we would play a game at the Civic Center during inter session. Never did like going to Springfield for games.

[LS71]

^ Yup..the games against dookane were in early January.

Too long of a ride from the Berkshires?

By contrast I like games in Springfield because I live there, thus a much shorter ride for me.

[KahunaK]

Went to a couple of great games at the Springfield Civic Center- When UMASS beat Rutgers after their Final Four year and a heartbreaking loss to Providence (exciting game). Not as much fun as the Cage but it was a big arena experience. We rushed the court after the Rutgers games- fun for an undergrad!

[69MG]

The most entertaining game I have ever been to (not necessarily the best or most important, but the most entertaining) was the game where we beat
BYU 105-96 in 2013 at the Mass Mutual Center. Chaz had an all world day, something like 30 points and 15 assists.

As for tomorrow's game, this from Walfish:

Josh Walfish
‏@JoshWalfishDHG
9m9 minutes ago
More
Quick basketball notes from today's practice: McCall said he knows Pierre, Diallo and T. Mitchell will start tomorrow for #UMass, but said he needs to figure out if it's best to go with his best offensive or defensive lineup against Duquesne.

Who would be your other 2 starters?

[Floyd]

Keon and CJ.

[bobolink]

Keon for sure, to counter the small, quick guards that are the heart of the opponent. Need another quick defender, though, and I have no idea who that might be. I guess Preston to counter their size, assuming their usual starters, but maybe CJ. The press won't work against this opponent.

[MJatUM]

The press won't work against this opponent.

So we will press all game. Got it.

[LS71]

I love Keon's hustle and intensity. He's not a scorer however and I wish he'd pass more and shoot less. Other than his 20 point outburst against 1-20 Central Connecticut, his scoring has been minimal, at best. His shooting percentages are dreadful.

Maine: 7/8 FGs-87.5%; 2/3-67% 3pt; 4-4 FTs-100%
Otherwise: 28/87 FGs-31%; 12/47 3pt.-25.5%; 23-33 FTs-69.7%

Draw a foul or give it up.

[Slapthefloor93]

This game is actually huge and we have a real shot a W, so we need to come out on fire hustle-wise. We have an especially winnable home game afterwards (Saint Joe’s), and I’d love to head into it with a chance for 3-5 instead of 2-6 as far as play-in game implications go. Let’s go boys - we’ve been getting our teeth kicked in enough, time to refuse to lose and to just plain out-heart somebody for once.

[Slapthefloor93]

As far as a starting 5 though, give me Kolton, Carl, Preston, Samba, Tre. East, Keon, and Dibaji can be an offensive spark off the bench when we need one. Preston deserves to get a start for what he’s done on defense in recent games.