Atlantic 10 Basketball: Top-5 non-conference matchups for 2018-19

Duquesne at Notre Dame

When: Tuesday, November 20

Duquesne is one of the biggest wildcards in the A10 coming into the season. With eleven (many of them highly-touted) new players set to join Keith Dambrot in his second year at the helm, it’s possible for the Dukes to contend in the conference if he gets everyone playing to their ceiling. Conversely, it’s also possible that they’ll take a while to gel, and will need this season to build chemistry and determine roles. I’m considering this game in South Bend a litmus test of sorts that will indicate which type of Dukes squad we’re dealing with: a team that needs to figure things out, or a team that’s for real right now.

In most seasons, playing in South Bend would spell defeat for even the best A10 teams. This season isn’t “most seasons” for the Irish, however. Yes, Mike Brey is a fantastic coach and he will probably exceed expectations like usual, but the loss of last year’s leading scorers in Bonzie Colson (20 points per game) and Matt Farrell (16 ppg) would be a lot for any coach to bounce back from. The Irish will still have talent to work with, but certainly won’t be invincible. Their vulnerable state will offer the Dukes a great opportunity to earn an honest win over an ACC-level opponent in a relatively (compared to most A10 gyms) raucous environment.

I’m not saying Duquesne needs to leave South Bend victorious to be validated as a team. A down Irish team is still the caliber of a competitive A10 team, so a loss would be respectable as long as it’s hard-fought. That will be the real test for the Dukes: making sure it’s a game, regardless of the final result. If Dambrot is the coach that I think he is, and if his roster can harness even most of their potential, then I fully expect them to succeed at doing that.