Pittsburgh—Duquesne ended 2012 in disappointing fashion with two straight double-digit road losses to UL-Lafayette and Penn State. It all came after a convincing 71-66 win over a talented Western Michigan team that is picked to finish high in the MAC. This has more or less been the story of the season thus far for the Dukes—some fantastic ups, and some tough downs.
Coach Ferry did say in the beginning of the season that every step forward may be followed by two steps backward. So far that is what has happened. Unfortunately, Duquesne faces a dangerous conference schedule in the coming month. With the addition of Butler and VCU to the mix and the prestige of playing in the Barclays Center come March, this may be the most competitive year to date in the Atlantic 10 conference. Here is a look at the opponents Duquesne will be facing in January and the threats that each team poses:
Fordham
Record: (3-10)
With the worst record in the conference so far, Fordham appears to be the least likely team to give Duquesne any trouble. Two of their three wins have come against middle of the road Ivy League teams Penn and Princeton. Their last win, on December 23rd, came against a struggling 2-11 Siena team. Despite this, the Dukes must watch out for guard Branden Frazier. Frazier is the number four scorer in the Atlantic 10 conference, averaging just under 17 points per game.
Saint Joseph’s
Record: 6-4
Saint Joseph’s was picked to finish 1st in the conference this season in the preseason coaches’ poll. The Hawks are only 6-4, but they have played a tough nonconference schedule which featured games against Notre Dame, Florida State, Creighton and Villanova. In their second game of the season, the Hawks beat the then #20 Fightin’ Irish in overtime. The biggest disappointment of the season came in the form of an 80-51 loss to #11 Creighton, but other than that, Saint Joe’s has been competitive in every single game this year. What’s more, they have been winning the games that they should be winning. The Hawks have two players who rank among the top 10 in the conference right now. Carl Jones (#8) is averaging 16 points per game, while Langston Galloway (#10) is averaging 15.1. Both of these players have talent along with experience. In fact, of the six players on the team who average over thirty minutes of per game, all but one are either juniors or seniors.
UMASS
Record: 8-3
The University of Massachusetts went 2-2 to open the season. After squeaking by Harvard and Providence, they got pummeled by #6 NC State and Tennessee. Their last loss was December 1st to Miami—they are currently on a nifty five-game win streak. UMASS is ranked higher than Saint Joseph’s in terms of points and rebounds per game, and also features two prominent scorers in Chaz Williams and Jesse Morgan.
VCU
Record: 10-3
Virginia Commonwealth is an intimidating team to look at on paper. They have put huge amounts of points on the board (36th nationally in points per game), and can beat an opponent in just about any way. Juvonte Reddic is a formidable threat inside, averaging 14.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. He is a huge reason for the Rams success so far this year. In their second loss of the season, they gave #5 Duke some trouble before losing by nine.
Saint Louis
Record: 9-3
After a tough November schedule during which they went 3-3, Saint Louis is currently undefeated in the month of December. They are currently sporting a six-game win streak. The Billikens, however, have not exactly played any noteworthy team in the past month. Their offense isn’t incredibly potent and only averages around 66 points per game. The defense has been the real strong point for them this year, as they have only allowed three opponents to score 70 points this season. Two of these opponents were Kansas and Texas A&M.
Dayton
Record: 9-3
Dayton’s biggest threat may arguably be Devin Oliver, the 6-7 junior forward. Oliver is nearly averaging a double-double, with 9.9 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. Marhold, Abele and company are going to have their work cut out for them on January 26th when they play the Flyers. Kevin Dillard is having a good senior season, accumulating just over 15 points per game. Dayton is shooting 47 percent from the field on the season.
It will be interesting to see what Duquesne, with their constant ups and downs, will do when it comes time to compete in the Atlantic 10.
“We have Atlantic 10 caliber players, but we lack Atlantic 10 experience,” Coach Ferry told the Pittsburgh Sporting News at the beginning of the season. Every game will be a challenge this year for Duquesne. If they want to compete they are going to have to go out and win some tough games on the road, which they have not been able to do thus far.
Photo Credit: The Daily Gazette
