PITTSBURGH - Duquesne will play three games as part of the Wade Houston Tipoff Classic, a multiple team event to be held at Louisville's KFC Yum! Center from Nov. 25 through Dec. 4, it was announced today. The Dukes, who are one of nine participating teams, will face UNC Greensboro, Winthrop and Little Rock - all 20-game winners a year ago - in a five-day span from Nov. 29 through Dec. 3. The first two games will be part of the MTE, with the Little Rock matchup counted as a regular non-conference game. In all, the nine teams will play a combined 18 games over the 10-day span in Louisville.

DU, one of three teams who will play three games, will take on UNCG on Sunday, Nov. 29, Winthrop on Tuesday, Dec. 1 and Little Rock on Thursday, Dec. 3. The UNCG game will be part of a triple-header, while the Winthrop and Little Rock games will be part of doubleheaders. Game times are to be announced.

All three are first-time opponents for the Dukes, who return five starters from last year's 21-9 team.

"We're excited to be part of the field and look forward to facing three quality opponents," said fourth-year Duquesne head coach Keith Dambrot. "We'll be playing a pair of defending conference champions in Winthrop and Little Rock - and a third team that won 23 games in UNCG. All three programs are talented, well-coached and have a winning pedigree. It will be a great early-season test for our team."

In addition to host Louisville, Seton Hall, Southern Illinois, Western Kentucky and Prairie View A&M will also be on site.

These are the first three games Duquesne has announced for the 2020-21 season.

"Scheduling changes from day-to-day, almost hour-to-hour," said Dambrot. "We are happy to have this opportunity. The University of Louisville has put together a very competitive field, but most importantly, they have the health and well-being of the participating teams at the forefront."

Louisville will provide two practice courts for teams within the bubble, including the practice court in the KFC Yum! Center and a full court that will be installed during the event in the Grand Ballroom of the Galt House Hotel. Teams will also have access to the court in the controlled Planet Fitness Kueber Center, UofL's campus practice facility. A weight room will also be temporarily set up in the Galt House for the teams.
 
The hotel is connected by an elevated walkway directly into the arena. With the exception of a possible bus trip for practice in the Planet Fitness Kueber Center, teams will not have to leave the dual facilities of the Galt House Hotel or KFC Yum! Center during their stay in Louisville. Teams will eat their meals in the Galt House and all teams will be staying in the East side of the Galt House, which features all suite rooms. Testing protocols will be in place for all participating teams and health protocols established by the ACC will be in place.
 
Additional dates and opponents for the 2020-21 Duquesne schedule will be released as finalized.

FIELD FACTS

• Winthrop (24-10), UNCG (23-9) and Little Rock (21-10) 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 and UNCG are both listed as one of "10 Mid-Majors to Watch" by CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein.
• Winthrop, UNCG and Little Rock 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.

A CLOSER LOOK
 

SCHOOL (2020 NET)	W/L	CONFERENCE	W/L	PLACE	SERIES	DAMBROT vs.
Little Rock	21-10	Sun Belt	15-5	1st	First meeting	1-1 (at Akron)
UNC Greensboro	23-9	Southern	13-5	3rd	First meeting	2-0 (at Akron)
Winthrop	24-10	Big South	15-3	t1st	First meeting	1-1 (at Akron)

Nov. 29 - UNC GREENSBORO
Series Record: First meeting
Dambrot vs. UNCG: 2-0 (both at Akron)
2020 record: 23-9/13-5 3rd in the Southern Conference
2020 NET: 82
2020-21 Preseason KenPom: 93

Southern Conference ... located in Greensboro, N.C. ... 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 and 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).

Dec. 1 - WINTHROP
Series Record: First meeting
Dambrot vs. Winthrop: 1-1 (both at Akron)
2020 record: 24-10/15-3 t1st in the Big South
2020 NET: 148
2020-21 Preseason KenPom: 115

Big South Conference ... located in Rock Hill, S.C. ... 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 last season ... the Eagles went 10-6 on the road in 2020 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).

Dec. 3 - LITTLE ROCK
Series Record: First meeting
Dambrot vs. Winthrop: 1-1 (both at Akron)
2020 record: 21-10/15-5 1st in the Sun Belt
2020 NET: 140
2020-21 Preseason KenPom: 132

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.