Duquesne made it to the 2024 NCAA Tournament for only the sixth time in school history and the first since 1977. Under the tutelage of coach Keith Dambrot, the Dukes received an automatic bid by winning the Atlantic 10 Tournament.
As the 11th seed in the East Region, Duquesne shocked BYU in the first round before losing to Illinois in the second round. They finished the season at 25-12 and sent a fitting tribute to Dambrot, who retired from coaching to help take care of his wife, who had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Dambrot was replaced by his associate coach Dru Joyce III, who worked during the offseason to assemble the best lineup for the 2024-25 college basketball season. Here is an inside look into Duquesne's upcoming campaign from its biggest games to the players to watch out for.
Duquesne's biggest games of the 2024-25 season
Duquesne will have two notable non-conference games in its 2024-25 calendar. The first is the Dukes' clash against Princeton on Nov. 8 and the other is the Cayman Islands Classic beginning on Nov. 24.
This is the second consecutive year that Duquesne and Princeton meet in the Jersey Jam which also pits Temple and Monmouth in another matchup. It is the sixth Dukes-Tigers game in history with Princeton leading the head-to-head, 3-2.
Dru Joyce III and his men head to the Caribbean two weeks later for the Cayman Islands Classic. Duquesne will open the mini-tournament against South Dakota State on Nov. 24 at the John Gray Stadium in George Town, Grand Cayman.
The winner of the game will face the winner of the Hampton-Boise State clash on Nov. 25. Other teams competing in the event are Missouri State, High Point, Old Dominion and Boston College.
The Atlantic 10 Conference pairings are also set with the Dukes taking on Dayton, Fordham, St. Bonaventure and Saint Joseph's twice on a home-and-away basis.
Duquesne will host George Mason, Loyola Chicago, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and VCU at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse and visit Davidson, George Washington, La Salle, Richmond and Saint Louis.
Top Duquesne players to watch out for in the 2024-25 season
#1. David Dixon
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David Dixon was Duquesne's third-leading scorer last season, averaging 7.2 points per game. The 6-foot-9 forward excelled on the defensive side, recording 1.6 blocks and 0.9 steals per contest.
Dixon is expected to anchor the team's defense and could be relied upon in scoring since last season's top offensive producers Dae Dae Grant and Jimmy Clark III are gone with the team.
#2. Tre Dinkins
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Tre Dinkins is coming off a breakout season with Canisius, averaging 15.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.0 steals per game. The 6-foot-2 guard shot 41.0% from the field and 76.6% from the free throw line this past season.
He was acquired from the transfer portal to add firepower to the backcourt and help Dixon lead the team on both ends of the floor.
#3. Jahsean Corbett
Jahsean Corbett transferred from Chicago State after coming off his best performance in his three-year collegiate career. This past season, the 6-foot-7 guard tallied 15.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.
Corbett shot 45.9% and connected on 69.5% of his free throws last season. He's expected to form a partnership with Tre Dinkins at the backcourt and will ease the workload for top defender David Dixon thanks to his size and length.
Predictions for Duquesne's 2024-25 season
First-year coach Dru Joyce III will have big shoes to fill following Keith Dambrot's retirement. Joyce hopes to continue Duquesne's winning season under Dambrot where they qualified to its first NCAA Tournament in 47 years.
Joyce has a mix of transfers and returnees at his disposal. All he needs to do is find the right lineup to make the Dukes work cohesively on the floor. It will be hard at first for the team to move on from Dambrot's sudden retirement but they'll try to rekindle last season's magical run by winning a maximum of 25 games and making the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Will Duquesne make the 2025 NCAA Tournament? Let us know your views in the comments section.
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