G1 |  LITTLE ROCK (1-1) VS. DUQUESNE (0-0)
Mon., Nov. 30 • 4:00 pm ET • Louisville, Ky. • KFC Yum! Center (22,090)

TELEVISION: ESPN3 with Don Russell & Jeff Greer
RADIO: WJAS-AM 1320 / iHeartRadio with Ray Goss ('58) & Jarrett Durham ('71)

G2 | vs. UNC GREENSBORO
Wed., Dec. 2 • 6:00 pm ET
ESPN3 with Don Russell & Jeff Greer
WJAS-AM 1320 / iHeartRadio with Ray Goss ('58) & Jarrett Durham ('71)

G3 | vs. WINTHROP
Fri., Dec. 4 • 11:00 am ET
ESPN3 with Kent Taylor & Jody Demling
WJAS-AM 1320 / iHeartRadio with Ray Goss ('58) & Jarrett Durham ('71)

Duquesne, which returns five starters from last year's 21-9 team, opens the 2020-21 season vs. Little Rock (21-10 last year) on Mon., Nov. 30 at 4:00 p.m. in the Wade Houston Tipoff Classic at Louisville Kentucky's KFC Yum! Center. The game is part of a multiple-team event that also includes Duquesne's Dec. 2 opponent UNC Greensboro (23-9 last year) & Dec. 4 foe Winthrop (24-10 last year). Little Rock (Sun Belt), UNCG (Southern) and Winthrop (Big South) were all picked to finish first their respective conference's preseason polls. DU, which is beginning its 105th season, is 87-17 in openers, including a 1-5 record when opening at a neutral site. This is Duquesne's latest season opener in 28 years (a 76-65 home win over Penn State on Dec. 1, 1992) and first neutral-site opener since 2004. Fourth-year Duquesne head Coach Keith Dambrot is 17-5 in season openers (3-0 at DU). The Little Rock game is the first of three games in five days for the Dukes.

WORTH NOTING

• The Dukes have increased their win total in each of their first three seasons under fourth-year head coach Keith Dambrot. Dambrot, who inherited a 10-22 team (3-15 in the A-10) in 2017-18, posted a 16-16 record in 2018. He followed that by guiding a 2019 team - with a roster that saw 97 percent of its points coming from freshmen and sophomores - to 19 wins (19-13) and a 10-8 Atlantic 10 finish (T6th). DU returns five starters from a team that won a school-record 11 conference games (11-7) on the way to posting the school's third 20-win season (21-9) in the past 48 years in 2020.
• This is the first time since 1971 & 1972 that DU has had 19 or more wins in back-to-back seasons. The last time Duquesne had three-straight 19+-win seasons was in a four-year span from 1951-52 through 1954-55 (23-4 in 1952, 21-8 in 1953, 26-3 in 1954 and 22-4 in the NIT Championship season of 1955). Dambrot's father, Sid, was a member of the 1952, 1953 & 1954 teams.
• The Dukes, who were picked to finish fifth in the 2020-21 Atlantic 10 preseason poll, have exceeded their preseason A-10 pick in each of their first three seasons under Keith Dambrot:

YEAR	PRESEASON	FINISH
2017-18	14th	t10th (7-11)
2018-19	11th	t6th (10-8)
2019-20	8th	t5th (11-7)
2020-21	5th	TBD

 

• 2019-20 marked the first time Duquesne produced back-to-back seasons with nine or more Atlantic 10 wins (the Dukes were 10-8 in 2019). It was also just the second time in school history that DU posted back-to-back winning A-10 seasons (1980 & 1981 are the others). The 2020-21 Dukes will be attempting to post three-straight winning conference records for the first time in school history.
• DU has opened at a neutral site just six times in its first 104 seasons, with five coming outside of western Pa.: 1987 Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage, 1991 Lobo Classic & 2004 NABC Classic both in Albuquerque,  N.M., 1997 Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska and the 1999 Hoop Fest in Binghamton, N.Y.). The last time DU opened at a neutral site was on Nov. 12, 2004, when the Dukes fell to Santa Clara, 74-65, in Albuquerque.

A-10 PRESEASON HONORS
This is the first time since 2010 (Damian Saunders Second Team and Bill Clark Third Team) that Duquesne has had two players on the A-10 Preseason Team.

Marcus Weathers - Second Team
Weathers, a 2020 Second Team All-A-10 pick, is just the third Duke to earn First or Second Team preseason mention in the past 15 years joining Damian Saunders (2nd in 2010 & 1st in 2011) and Eric Williams Jr. (2nd in 2019).
Sincere Carry - Third Team
A two-year starter who was a member of the 2019 A-10 All-Rookie Team, Carry is on pace to challenge Norm Nixon's career assists per game average (5.5 apg.).


FAST FACTS

VETS: DU returns three fifth-year seniors in Marcus Weathers (third-year Miami, Ohio transfer), Michael Hughes and Tavian Dunn-Martin (both third-year Akron transfers).

AGAINST THE A-10'S BEST: Duquesne (5-4), Richmond (5-4) and Dayton (11-0) were the only Atlantic 10 schools with a winning record vs. the Top 8 finishers (Dayton, Richmond, Rhode Island, Saint Louis, Duquesne, St. Bonaventure, Davidson & VCU) in the league last season.

WEATHERS REPORT: Senior Marcus Weathers was also at his best against the A-10's best. In six total games vs. the league's top four finishers (Dayton, Richmond, Rhode Island & Saint Louis) the 6-5 forward averaged 19.2 points and 8.0 rebounds/g. Weathers shot .625 (40-of-64) in the six games.

DONE WITH DEFENSE: The Dukes held opponents to 66.4 points per game last season. It was the lowest opponent average in 38 years. DU ranked 9th nationally - and first in the A-10 - in blocked shots/g. at 5.37. Duquesne returns players who accounted for all but 20 of last year's 161 rejections.

• Sincere Carry's 319 career assists (58g.) are the second-most ever by a DU player through his sophomore season. Clayton Adams set the current mark of 322 in 61 g. in 1988 & 1989. Carry's total is eight more than former Duke - and current Indiana Pacer - T.J. McConnell had in 63 g. as a freshman and sophomore in 2011 & 2012 (prior to transferring to Arizona).
• Center Michael Hughes - the only A-10 player to lead his team in blocks and steals last year - finished 8th nationally in blocks/g. (2.73). Hughes' 2.5 career blocks per game average is the second-best in DU history.
• Under Keith Dambrot, DU is: 43-3 when leading with 5:00 left ... 43-12 when scoring 70 or more (15-2 in 2020) ... 36-3 when the first to 70 points (12-0 in 2020) ... 35-7 when holding opponents under 70 (16-0 in 2020) and 8-1 in overtime (3-0 in 2020).

VS. THE FIELD

• Little Rock (21-10), UNCG (23-9) and Winthrop (24-10) all won 20 games last season.
• Winthrop (Big South) and Little Rock (Sun Belt) are coming off conference championship seasons. UNCG finished third in the Southern Conference. Little Rock was picked to win the Sun Best West, UNCG was picked to win the SoCon and Winthrop was picked to win the Big South in each conference's preseason poll.
• Little Rock and UNCG are both listed as one of "10 Mid-Majors to Watch" by CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein.
• Little Rock, UNCG and Winthrop are first time opponents for Duquesne. DU head coach Keith Dambrot who is entering his 23rd season as a Division I head coach (fourth season at Duquesne) is 4-2 all-time vs. the three.
• Here are the preseason KenPom rankings for the three: Little Rock (134), UNCG (89), Winthrop (133). Duquesne was No. 82.

LITTLE ROCK • Nov. 30
Series Record: First meeting
Dambrot vs. Winthrop: 1-1 (both at Akron)

NOTES: Sun Belt Conference ... located in Little Rock, Ark. ... this is the first meeting between the Dukes and Trojans ... defending Sun Belt champions return the entire roster - including four double-digit scorers - from last year's 21-10 team ... leading the way is a pair of NABC First Team All-District players in 5-7 junior guard Markquis Nowell (17.2 ppg., 136 assists, 62 steals and 77 3-pointers) and 6-10 senior forward Ruol Monyyong (11.9 ppg., 9.8 rpg., 62 blocks, .589 from the field) ... Nowell, who hails from Harlem, New York, finished in the top four in six Sun Belt statistical categories ... he enters his junior season with 749 points ... Monyyong, the Sun Belt Defensive Player & Newcomer of the Year, led the conference in rebounding, blocks and double-doubles (16) ... the Trojans are in their third season under head coach Darrell Walker ... Walker, the 2020 Sun Belt Coach of the Year, led a Little Rock team picked to finish 11th to a Sun Belt title in 2020 ... Walker, a standout player at Arkansas (1981-83), was recruited to Fayetteville by current Duquesne Director of Community Relations and Player Mentoring Bill Brown, who was an assistant on Eddie Sutton's staff from 1981-85 ... Duquesne is 3-5 all-time vs. teams that comprise the current Sun Belt ... it is DU's first meeting vs. a Sun Belt team since a 79-55 home win over Appalachian State on Jan. 2, 2014 ... Keith Dambrot is 1-1 vs. Little Rock with both meetings coming while he was head coach at Akron, including a two-point loss (79-81) in the 2006-07 season opener at the CBE Classic in Lubbock, Texas and a 75-61 win over the Trojans at the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic on Dec. 21, 2010.

UNC GREENSBORO • Dec. 2
Series Record: First Meeting
Dambrot vs. UNCG: 2-0 (both at Akron)

NOTES: Southern Conference ... located in Greensboro, N.C. ... 2020 record: (23-9/13-5 3rd) ... 2020 NET: 82 ... 2020 KenPom: 92 ... this is the first meeting between the Dukes and Spartans ... UNCG is coming off its fourth-straight 20-win season ... the Spartans return 12 players including Southern Conference Player & Defensive Player of the Year senior G Isaiah Miller (17.8 ppg., 5.0 rpg., 100 assists, 89 steals) ... Miller, the first player in SoCon history to win Player & Defensive Player of the Year in the same season, is back after removing his name from the NBA Draft underclass pool ... second-leading scorer junior G Kaleb Hunter (10.3 ppg.) and 2020 SoCon Freshman of the Year G Keyshaun Langley (6.6 ppg., 60 assists, 36 steals off the bench) also return ... the Spartans led the nation in turnover margin (+6.4) and were sixth in total steals (299) last season ... UNCG forced over 18 turnovers per game in 2020 ... the Spartans are in their 10th season under head coach Wes Miller, the longest-tenured coach in the SoCon ... Duquesne is 5-3 all-time - including an 0-2 mark at neutral-sites - against the schools that comprise the current Southern Conference ... DU defeated SoCon member VMI, 71-58, last season in a home game at La Roche University ... Keith Dambrot is 2-0 vs. UNCG with both wins coming while at Akron (75-53 at Greensboro on Dec. 31, 2008 and 83-59 at Akron on Dec. 18, 2009).

WINTHROP • Dec. 4
Series Record: First meeting
Dambrot vs. Winthrop: 1-1 (both at Akron)

NOTES: Big South Conference ... located in Rock Hill, S.C. ... 2020 record: (24-10/15-3 t1st) ... 2020 NET: 148 ... 2020 KenPom: 140 ... the Eagles won the Big South Championship and automatic bid to the cancelled 2020 NCAA Tournament ... this is the first meeting between the Dukes and Eagles ... Winthrop returns three starters - senior G Chandler Vaudrin (9,3 ppg., 5.8 rpg, 191 assists, 45 steals), junior G Micheal Anumba (6.8 ppg., 4.0 rpg.) and sophomore F D.J. Burns Jr. (11.9 ppg., 4.1 rpg., .583 FG%, 23 blocks) from last year's 24-10 team (15-3/T1st in Big South) ... Vaudrin and Burns Jr. were Second Team All-Big South picks ... Burns Jr. was also the Big South Freshman of the Year ... 6-7 F Chase Claxton shot .773 from the field as a freshman ... Winthrop ranked second nationally with 33.0 bench points per game ... the Eagles went 10-6 on the road last season including a 61-59 win at #18 (AP) St. Mary's ... the St. Mary's win was the program's third over a ranked team, and first over a ranked team on the road ... finished in the Top 10 nationally in scoring offense (5th/81.3), rebounds per game (6th/40.8) and rebound margin (8th/+7.7) ... also ranked ninth nationally in 3-point attempts (931), free throw attempts (760) and total assists (542) ... topped the 100-point mark a school record five times ... in their ninth season under head coach Pat Kelsey who has led the Eagles to 20 or more wins four times ... Duquesne is 12-2 all-time - including a 2-0 mark in neutral site games - against the schools that comprise the current Big South Conference ... the Dukes have won nine in a row over Big South schools, including back-to-back wins over Radford in Akron, Ohio in 2018-19 & 2019-20 ... Keith Dambrot is 9-1 all-time vs. the Big South (3-0 at Duquesne), with the lone loss coming at Winthrop when he was head coach at Akron (68-58 on Dec. 4, 2007).