Dukes Slotted Eighth in Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll

10/7/2024 9:00:00 AM

Washington, D.C. – According to a poll of Atlantic 10 head coaches and media, the Duquesne University men's basketball team has been picked to finish eighth in the A-10 in 2024-25. The annual preseason poll was announced Monday at A-10 Basketball Media Day, held at District E Powered by Ticketmaster, which is located adjacent to Capital One Arena, site of the 2025 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Championship.

The Dukes received one first-place vote and 222 points in the poll. Selected as the preseason favorite is VCU, which earned 14 first-place tallies and 421 points. Rounding out the top five is Dayton (394), Saint Joseph's (376), Saint Louis (371) and Loyola Chicago (368). Each of the top five teams in the 2024-25 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll earned at least two first-place votes. The Flyers garnered six, the Hawks five and the Billikens and Ramblers two each.

Selected to finish sixth is George Mason (262), followed by Richmond (230) and the Dukes. Massachusetts (215) and St. Bonaventure (210) conclude the top 10, while Rhode Island (159), Davidson (118), George Washington (111), Fordham (80) and La Salle (62) round out the poll.

Named the 18th head coach in the 108-year history of Duquesne men's basketball March 28, 2024, Dru Joyce III was formally introduced at a press conference Monday, April 1, 2024. He enters his first season leading the Dukes in 2024-25 after spending the last two seasons as associate head coach, a stretch in which Duquesne posted an overall record of 45-25 (.643), including a 20-16 (.556) mark in the Atlantic 10.

The Dukes, who are coming off back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since 1971 & 1972, have appeared in the postseason each of the last two seasons. In 2023 Duquesne accepted an invitation to the 2023 College Basketball Invitational (CBI) before earning the automatic bid for the A-10 in the 2024 NCAA Championship by winning four games in five days in Brooklyn, N.Y., at the Barclays Center en route to the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship crown.

As a No. 11 seed, Duquesne made its first appearance in the NCAA Championship since 1977 and posted its first victory in the NCAA Tournament since 1969 thanks to a 71-67 triumph over No. 6 seed BYU in Omaha, Neb., at CHI Health Center Arena.

The Dukes return nine players, including two starters, from a 2023-24 squad that finished with an overall record of 25-12 (.676), including a 10-8 (.556) mark in the A-10. Junior forward David Dixon and sophomore guard Jake DiMichele return as starters for Duquesne. Dixon was one of four student-athletes to appear in all 37 games last season, averaging 7.2 points and 4.8 rebounds while blocking a team-high 60 shots. DiMichele, meanwhile, played in 30 contests and averaged 6.4 points and 2.5 rebounds game.

Dixon ranked seventh in the Atlantic 10 last year with an average of 1.62 blocks per game in becoming just the sixth player in program history to finish with at least 60 rejections in a season. He is tied for eighth in the Duquesne single-season record book for blocks with Derrick Alston (1991-94), who rejected 60 shots in back-to-back seasons in 1991-92 and 1992-93. Dixon enters the 2024-25 campaign with career totals of 387 points, 259 rebounds and 84 blocks and is a career 55.7 percent (151-for-271) shooter from the field.

DiMichele burst onto the scene for the Dukes in Atlantic 10 play, as Duquesne finished 15-6 (.714) in the 21 games he was a member of the starting lineup. Shooting 46 percent (75-for-163) from the field in his rookie campaign, DiMichele contributed 12 points in a 70-60 win over St. Bonaventure in the semifinals of the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship and added eight points in the win over BYU in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

The Dukes will also be bolstered by the return of junior guard Kareem Rozier, who owns a career assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.50, and sophomore forward Jakub Necas, who established career highs in points (12), rebounds (6) and blocks (3) in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Championship. He shot 4-for-7 from the field in the win over BYU, including 2-for-3 from beyond the arc, while hitting both of his attempts at the free-throw line.

Duquesne also welcomes nine newcomers to its roster for the 2024-25 season, including transfer guards Tre Dinkins (Canisius) and Maximus Edwards (George Washington) as well as wing Jahsean Corbett (Chicago State). Edwards was named the 2023 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, while Dinkins was named to the 2024 All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Third Team. Corbett, meanwhile, enters the 2024-25 season with career totals of 1,303 points and 725 rebounds compiled in three seasons with the Cougars.

The Dukes open the 2024-25 season Monday, Nov. 4, with an 8:00 p.m. tip against Lipscomb at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. It is part of a doubleheader dubbed Duquesne Basketball Palooza, with the women's team hosting Princeton at 5:00 p.m. and features a tailgate party with food trucks, face painting, games and music as well as a happy hour, rally towel giveaway and raffle prizes at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. Season tickets are on sale now.

2024-25 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll

Team (First-Place Votes)	Points
1. VCU (14)	421
2. Dayton (6)	394
3. Saint Joseph's (5)	376
4. Saint Louis (2)	371
5. Loyola Chicago (2)	368
6. George Mason	262
7. Richmond	230
8. Duquesne (1)	222
9. Massachusetts	215
10. St. Bonaventure	210
11. Rhode Island	159
12. Davidson	118
13. George Washington	111
14. Fordham	80
15. La Salle	62