Nov. 10, 2004

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vs. NORTH CAROLINA A&T
Saturday, Nov. 13, 2004 - 10:15 p.m. (EST)

at NEW MEXICO
Sunday, Nov. 14 - 6:15 p.m. (EST)

TELEVISION: None
DUQUESNE RADIO: KQV-AM (1410) with Ray Goss & George Von Benko
INTERNET BROADCAST: www.redzonemedia.com

NOTE: There is a two hour difference between Mountain and Eastern time

DUKES OPEN SEASON AT ALBUQUERQUE

Duquesne opens the 2004-05 season on Friday, Nov. 12 vs. Santa Clara in the second game of the four-team NABC Classic at The Pit in Albuquerque, N.M. (game time approx. 10:15 p.m. EST). Host New Mexico takes on North Carolina A&T in the opening game of the Classic at 8:00 p.m. (EST). The Dukes will play three games in three days in the round-robin format exempt event. DU will face North Carolina A&T in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader (approx. 10:15 p.m. EST) before taking on New Mexico in the final game on Sunday (approx. 6:15 p.m. EST). All three games will be broadcast back to Pittsburgh on KQV-AM 1410 and are available over the internet at www.redzonemedia.com.

FOR OPENERS

This is the 89th season of basketball for Duquesne University (1,199-861, .582). The Dukes started play in 1913-14 (DU did not field a team in 1944-45-46 due to World War II). Duquesne has compiled an impressive 75-13 record in season opening games, including a 70-3 mark when opening at home. The Dukes have opened the season at a neutral site just five times, with four coming outside of western Pennsylvania (Hoop Fest in 1999-00, Top of the World Classic in 1997-98, Lobo Classic in 1991-92 and Great Alaska Shootout in 1987-88).

EARLY START

The Santa Clara game marks the earliest season-opening game in school history, beating the previous mark by two days. The previous "early opener" was on November 14, 1998 when the Dukes defeated Albany 72-43 at the Palumbo Center.

399 AND COUNTING

Duquesne head coach Danny Nee enters this, his 25th season, with 399 career wins - a total that ranks 28th among active coaches. The Brooklyn native posted 107 wins in six years at Ohio, a school-record 254 in 14 seasons at Nebraska, seven in one year at Robert Morris and 31 in his first three seasons at Duquesne. Nee's 734 games coached ranks 20th among active coaches. Nee, who is beginning his fourth season at Duquesne, signed a two-year contract extension early last March that keeps him with the Dukes through 2007-08. Of the 12 Atlantic 10 head coaches, only Temple Hall of Famer John Chaney has coached for more seasons and notched more career wins than Nee.

NEW FOR NEE

Despite his veteran status, Nee will be facing two of the three teams in the NABC Classic for the first time. Nee, who has faced 189 different opponents in his first 24 years as a Division I head coach, has yet to meet teams from New Mexico and Santa Clara. While at Nebraska, Nee led his Cornhuskers to a 65-47 home win over North Carolina A&T on Nov. 28, 1998.

1,199 WINS FOR DUQUESNE

The Duquesne program enters the season with a 1,199-861 (.582) record in 88 seasons of competition. The next win, in addition to being the 400 career win for Nee, will also be the 1,200th in school history.

DUQUESNE LATELY

• Duquesne's 12 wins last season were its most since the 1993-94 NIT Dukes finished 17-13
• PG Martin Osimani's 172 assists were second only to Norm Nixon's school record of 178 set in 1976-77 ... his 5.93 apg. average led the Atlantic 10 and ranked 20th nationally ... Osimani enters the season ranked 12th among the nation's top returning assist men
• Dukes' coach Danny Nee enters the 2004-05 season with 399 career victories
• The three games at Albuquerque are characterized as "certified" and will be played under experimental rules ... the three rules in effect will be:
  • (1) the 3-point line will be moved back nine inches to 20 feet, 6 inches
  • (2) the free throw lane will be widened by 1.5 feet on either side, and
  • (3) a restricted arc will be placed two feet from the center of the basket

CAPTAIN, CAPTAIN, CAPTAIN

Tri-captains for the 2004-05 Dukes are senior guards Martin Osimani and Tyler Bluemling & junior guard Bryant McAllister.

NABC CLASSIC

Friday, Nov. 12
N. Carolina A&T at New Mexico 8:00
Santa Clara vs. Duquesne *10:15

Saturday, Nov. 13
Santa Clara at New Mexico 8:00
N. Carolina A&T vs. Duquesne *10:15

Sunday, Nov. 14
N. Carolina A&T vs. Santa Clara 4:00
Duquesne at New Mexico *6:15

*- game two times are approximate
TIMES LISTED ARE EASTERN STANDARD

DUKES VS. THE FIELD

SANTA CLARA

Duquesne holds a 4-0 edge in the series that dates back to New Year's Eve of 1940 ... the last time the two met, No. 17 Duquesne defeated Santa Clara 84-73 at San Jose's Civic Auditorium ... the game - in addition to being Duquesne's first west of the Rockies - was also the Dukes' first appearance in the state of California ... the Santa Clara game was the second of a three-game trip that saw DU play at Creighton (Jan. 30) and at San Francisco (Feb. 3):

Series Record   Duquesne leads 4-0At Pittsburgh   Duquesne leads 3-0At Santa Clara  Duquesne leads 1-0

Dec. 31, 1940   H               W       42-40Dec. 26, 1947   H-1             W       56-45Feb. 3, 1964    H (CA)      W       92-68Feb. 1, 1971    A (#17/NR)      W       84-73

NORTH CAROLINA A&T

This is the second meeting between NCA&T and Duquesne ... on Nov. 19, 2000, Darelle Porter's Dukes defeated the Aggies, 82-56, in the season-opener at the Palumbo Center:

Series Record       Duquesne leads 1-0At Pittsburgh       Duquesne leads 1-0At Greensboro, N.C.     Never metAt Palumbo Center       Duquesne leads 1-0

Nov. 19, 2000   H               W       82-56

NEW MEXICO

Duquesne and New Mexico have met twice with the Dukes taking the first match-up at home in the 1949-50 season-opener, 55-36 ... two two met again in the title game of the 1991-92 season-opening Lobo Classic ... DU, which defeated UAB 87-77 in the first round, lost a tough 91-85 decision to the Lobos before a crowd of 16,355 the following night:

Series Record   Tied 1-1At Pittsburgh   Duquesne leads 1-0At Albuquerque  New Mexico leads 1-0

Dec. 13, 1949   H       W       55-36Nov. 23, 1991   A-1     L       85-91

A-1 - Lobo Classic championship game

ON THE ROAD

Duquesne went 3-9 on the road and 1-0 in neutral site games last season, with four of the losses coming by a combined 15 points (the first three in overtime). The three road wins - all of which came in conference play (at Rhode Island, at St. Bonaventure and at Xavier) - were the most by a DU team in a season and conference season since the 1994-95 team went 5-8 on the road overall and 3-5 in the A-10.

SECOND TO NORM

Last year, point guard Martin Osimani put together the best assist season by a Duquesne player since Norm Nixon (1974-77) roamed the Bluff in the mid-1970s. Osimani, who came to DU from Miami-Dade CC, was the prime reason Duquesne increased its team assists by nearly three per game while cutting turnovers by over four per outing. The Uruguay native's Atlantic 10-leading 172 assists (5.931 apg.) were second only to Nixon's 178 in 1976-77. In addition, Osimani's 5.931 apg. average was the fourth-best in school history behind Nixon's 6.00 apg. in 1973-74 & 1975-76 and 5.933 mark in 1976-77. Osimani, who is the only player in school history to post three 10+ assist games in the same season, enters 2004-05 as NCAA Division I's 12th-leading returning assist man.

JACK ATTACK

Can you name the second-best 3-point shooter in the Atlantic 10 last season? If you guessed Duquesne's Jack Higgins, give yourself a pat on the back. Higgins, who came off the bench to score in double digits in 10 of 23 games (Duquesne was 8-2 when Higgins scored 10 or more), finished the season second to Saint Joseph's Pat Carroll (.458 to .456) in 3-point shooting percentage. The Pittsburgh native led the Dukes in scoring four times and tied for second on the team with Bryant McAllister with two 20-point games despite not gaining his eligibility until mid-December following his transfer from Cleveland State. Higgins, who hit four or more 3-pointers in a game four times, went 14-of-29 from the arc in Duquesne's last six games. For the season, the 6-5 swingman was 41-of-90 from long distance.

MR. CONSISTENCY

Junior guard Bryant McAllister has quietly established himself as one of the most consistent scorers in the Atlantic 10. McAllister, who has started 50 of 59 games in his career, averaged a team high-tying 29.2 minutes per game at the shooting guard spot as a sophomore. He shook off an early-season ankle sprain to finish second on the team with 21 double-digit scoring games. The Pittsburgh native had back-to-back single-digit scoring games just once during the season (9 points vs. Siena in game No. 2 followed by zero points in 12 minutes vs. Pitt when he tried to play on the injured ankle). McAllister, who scored a career-high 21 points in a game twice (at Akron and at Xavier), led the team with 40 steals and was second on the squad with 69 assists.