Busting Brackets
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Atlantic 10 Basketball: Preseason rankings for 2018-19

By Tristan Freeman

Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images
Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images /
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WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 08: Mike Lewis II #1 of the Duquesne Dukes shoots in front of Julius Johnson #32 of the Richmond Spiders during the first half in the Second Round of the Atlantic 10 Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 8, 2018 in Washington, DC.(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 08: Mike Lewis II #1 of the Duquesne Dukes shoots in front of Julius Johnson #32 of the Richmond Spiders during the first half in the Second Round of the Atlantic 10 Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 8, 2018 in Washington, DC.(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

6. Duquesne Dukes

2017-18 season record: 16-16 (7-11)

After five straight years of no more than six conference years, former Akron Head Coach Keith Dambrot made an immediate impact with his new team last season. Duquesne was a problem all season long and could be even better for 2018-19.

The team’s two best players come back in Mike Lewis and star sophomore big man Eric Williams Jr., who combined to average 28.7 ppg and 11.1 rpg last year. They’ll need to overcome the loss of the other two double-digit scorers (Rene Castro and Tarin Smith), who each averaged over three assists for Duquesne. An underrated departure to transfer was Tydus Verhoeven, a 6’8 forward who led the A-10 as a freshman.

But like UMass, Duquesne has plenty of transfers ready to fill the void. Tavian Dunn-Martin and Michael Hughes followed Dambrot over from Akron, while Craig Randall played little at Memphis before coming over.

The two key transfers include Marcus Weathers (Miami of Ohio) and Frankie Hughes (Missouri). As a freshman, Weathers averaged 9.7 ppg and 6.0 rpg with the RedHawks in 25 mpg while mostly coming off the bench. He and Williams could form a nice frontcourt that’s very athletic and capable on the boards but also small in terms of size. In that case, 6’10 and 300-pound incoming freshman Dylan Swingle will have to play some out the gate.

Hughes will be very important for Duquesne. The 6’4 guard is the most-ready ball handler on the 2018-19 roster and will have to facilitate the offense for a team who was ranked near the 300s in total assists. He averaged 7.6 ppg and is a good athlete who did well at times in the SEC. If he and the other transfers can play up to their potential as a group, Duquesne might be able to sneak into the top four next season.

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