With the first conference game of the season for Duquesne looming on the horizon this Wednesday night, coach Ferry and his team are now focusing on their perennial conference rivals. Duquesne won just one conference game last season, a road upset at Temple. This year, with a more skilled frontcourt and a talented point guard who is coming off one of the most illustrious seasons in Duquesne history, the Dukes have a great shot at improving their standing in the conference and gaining more respect from their peers. Here is a look at a couple A-10 teams the Dukes should look out for, and a few who are struggling, and why.
Things are Looking Up For…
#19 Massachusetts (12-1): It’s no secret that the Minutemen are ranked in the top 25 this season for the first time in this millennium. Led by Chaz Williams, an all-conference player last season who averaged 15.5 points and 7.3 assists per game, UMASS is one of the biggest surprises in the nation. Coach Derek Kellog’s team is off to its best start since 2010. His team has proved he can get it done against big-time competition, as the Minutemen have shown with wins over then-#19 New Mexico, Clemson, and Providence. They have also showed they can come through in the clutch. In a 69-67 overtime win over Providence, forward Derrick Gordon had a rebound and put back with 1.1 seconds to go that carried UMASS to a slight victory.
Massachusetts also has four different players averaging in the double figures in points per game, with a fifth, Derrick Gordon, averaging 9.5 ppg. Look for Chaz Williams to put up big numbers again this year, and the Minutemen to be the main challengers for Saint Louis, the defending Atlantic 10 regular season and tournament champions.
Saint Louis (13-2): Although they haven’t played the nonconference schedule that Massachusetts has, Saint Louis is looking just like the conference force they were last year. The Bilikens, who had a school record 28 wins last season en route to winning the Atlantic 10 regular season and tournament titles, are returning four senior starters. The team will once again be led by Jordair Jett, the senior point guard who averages just over 10 points per game and 5 assists per game. Dwayne Evans leads the frontcourt for the Billikens. Evans averages 14.9 points per game and 6 rebounds.
In losses to highly ranked Wisconsin and Wichita State, head coach Jim Crews said his team learned that every possession matters, especially against good teams. Crews is impressed with the mental toughness his team has showed in bouncing back from those two difficult losses. This same toughness will surely carry into conference play, where Saint Louis should be more confident than any team out there.
Things are Looking Down For…
LaSalle (7-6): After a 24-10 regular season performance last season, and a postseason trip to the Sweet 16, many thought LaSalle would contend for the Atlantic 10 title this year. The Explorers return a number of players from last year’s team, including senior guard Tyreek Duren. But after six nonconference losses early this season, they are sorely missing Ramon Galloway, last year’s leading scorer. Galloway led the Explorers’ unique four-guard offensive system last season – a system that proved to be one of the most powerful offenses in the conference. So far, last year’s high-flying offense has been a distant memory for Duren and company. The Explorers average about 70 points per game this season, down about 8 points from last year. This offense currently ranks an unimpressive 238th in the nation.
LaSalle opened up play with a host of MAAC teams, including Manhattan, by whom they got beat in double overtime for an 0-1 start to the season. What’s worse, LaSalle has failed to put points on the board when they needed it most this year. In the toughest games of the season so far, against major conference opponents Villanova and Miami, the Explorers fell short of the 60 point mark. Both games were lost by double digit margins.
Fordham (7-6): Don’t get me wrong, Fordham has looked very good at times this season. First off, their 7-6 nonconference record is definitely an improvement from last year’s 4-11 start. The Rams took care of Lehigh 80-72, and topped Manhattan by four. Freshman Jon Severe looks promising, as he leads the team with over 20 points per game. But suffering consecutive losses heading into conference play is never something a team desires, especially with so many young players. Guard Branden Frazier, the team’s second leading scorer, is the only senior that sees significant court time. Fordham’s last two losses haven’t been pretty, by any stretch of the imagination. The first came at the hands of Harvard, 94-86. The Rams shot well enough (46.8 percent) and only committed 12 turnovers, but were outmatched by their Ivy League opponents as a whole. Frazier and Severe virtually carried the team on their backs, putting up 31 and 29 points respectively. But this is no recipe for victory down the stretch. Fordham needs the other members of the team to step up, or every defense in the conference will key in on the Rams’ two backcourt stars.
Against Siena (5-8), Fordham was plagued by 16 turnovers and a poor shooting performance. But crucially, Frazier was contained for much of the game, and this seems to be the victory recipe for the Rams’ opponents. With a guard-heavy offense, Fordham also won’t win a lot of rebounding battles this year. With a competitive frontcourt, and no lack of talent at the guard positions, Duquesne should be able to handle Fordham this year. However, they must keep tabs on Severe and Frazier, in all situations. The Dukes lost to Fordham on the road last season, 82-75, to open conference play.
Photo Credit: Duquesne Athletics
