Atlantic 10 Basketball: Rhody a wildcard, Fordham a fluke

HONOLULU, HI - DECEMBER 22: Cyril Langevine #10 of the Rhode Island Rams pushes the ball up court Paul Newman #0 of the Bucknell Bison tries to chase him down during the first half of their game at Stan Sheriff Center on December 22, 2018 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images) /

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Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images /

Takeaway #2: Duquesne should be fine

Entering the season, Duquesne was much like Rhode Island in that they were a young team that was difficult to project in the standings. Everyone knew they had the potential to end up in the A10’s top half but figured coach Dambrot would have his hands full integrating over ten new players into the program.

The Dukes started out the A10 slate by playing winning basketball, but none of their victories had been particularly impressive (Fordham, St. Joe’s, Richmond, and GW). On Wednesday they went a long way towards proving that they aren’t a fluke, gutting out a 77-73 win over Saint Louis to become 5-1 in conference and 14-5 overall.

They had an opportunity to reel in consecutive strong wins with VCU visiting the Palumbo Center on Saturday, but they fell just short without the help of injured Freshman guard Sincere Carry. Carry had been making a name for himself as a potential A10 Rookie of the Year with 12.1 points, 5.8 assists, and 2.8 steals per game. Still, the fact that the Carry-less Dukes didn’t get beaten by double digits by one of the A10’s best teams is encouraging.

Obviously, the sooner Carry can return the better for the Dukes, but even without him they’ll have a chance to keep making noise. Five of their next six opponents are Rhode Island, St. Bonaventure, Fordham, La Salle and GW. With other top teams set to face tough stretches, that’s a chance to gain some breathing room.

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