Rhode Island vs. Duquesne: College basketball game preview, TV schedule

Rhode Island has been looking for someone to challenge them in the A-10 conference. Could a surprising Duquesne squad be that team?

TV schedule: Saturday, Jan. 27, 12:00 p.m. ET. NBCSN

Arena: Ryan Center in Kingston, Rhode Island

Coming into the season, Rhode Island 16-3 (8-0) was the favorite to win the Atlantic 10 conference, and the team has been dominant. They’re three games up in the loss column while having only one win decided by less than double-digits.

The player who was supposed to lead the Rams was senior E.C. Matthews, an early candidate for Conference Player of the Year. But an injury suffered in the non-conference put him out of commission for a number of games. But another senior in Jared Terrell has emerged as the current favorite for the end of the year award, leading Rhode Island in Matthew’s absence. Her’s averaging 18.2 ppg on the season.

Outside of the Rams, everyone else is battling for second, with no team separating themselves from the pack. One of those teams part of that is Duquesne 14-7 (5-3), who have, under first-year head coach Keith Dambrot, already eclipsed both the number of conference wins (3) and the total number of wins (10).

It’s not too surprising that the former Akron head coach is having success, as he’s been a winner everywhere he’s gone. But this could be his most successful turnaround yet, with the Dukes not currently the most successful D-1 program in the Pittsburgh area.

Four players average over 12.4 ppg for Duquesne, led by sophomore guard Mike Lewis with 16.0 ppg. The biggest reason for the early success has been freshman Eric Williams Jr., who at 6’5 leads the team in rebounding at 9.7 ppg, while chipping in 15.4 ppg. They’ve gone from perennial conference dweller to having a real shot to win the conference tournament.

Next: Rhode Island's spot in latest Bracketology

But they’ll have to get by Rhode Island in all likelihood, and the Rams are just too talented for the upstart Dukes to beat on the road. But for a program whose undergoing an accelerated rebuild, this is a great test to see the progress coach Dambrot and the players have made.

Prediction: Rhode Island 81 – Duquesne 63