Duquesne Needs Strong Finish to Score Double Bye in A10 Tourney

The Duquesne Dukes look for win No. 19 tonight as they’re in Philadelphia for a matchup against LaSalle (7-7, 13-14).

More importantly, Keith Dambrot’s team is looking to stay in the hunt for a double-bye in the upcoming Atlantic-10 Tournament. The top four teams get that bye and the Dukes are currently in 5th place, one game out of that coveted spot.

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Current Atlantic 10 Standings:
VCU:   12-3
Dayton:  10-4
Saint Louis: 10-5
Fordham: 9-5
Duquesne: 8-6

Last night, Duquesne received some unexpected help as Richmond knocked off St. Louis, 81-78, which puts them 1.5 games behind the Billikens.

The two teams that Duquesne has a realistic chance to catch are Fordham and Saint Louis. Looking at the remaining schedules, two things that stand out are the two closing games for Saint Louis along with Duquesne having the chance to play Fordham on the final game of the regular season.

The most important thing that has to happen is that Duquesne will likely need to win their remaining 4 games to have a shot at this double bye. While it certainly won’t be easy, the Dukes have a favorable schedule to end the season. The four remaining teams on their schedule have a combined conference record of 26-31. Fordham’s final four have a combined conference record of 23-34, while Saint Louis final three are 25-18.

Remaining Schedules:
VCU:  vs. Richmond, vs. Saint Louis, at George Washington.
Dayton: at UMass, vs. George Mason, vs. LaSalle, at Saint Louis.
Saint Louis:  vs. Loyola Chicago, at VCU, vs. Dayton.
Fordham:  at Loyola Chicago, vs. Rhode Island, at George Mason, vs. Duquesne.
Duquesne: at LaSalle, vs. Davidson, vs. UMass, at Fordham.

gameday mood 😤#GoDukes pic.twitter.com/qQ3J119GuA

— Duquesne Basketball (@DuqMBB) February 22, 2023