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Atlantic 10 Basketball: Richmond, Saint Louis on top in opening weeks

By Benjamin Zacher

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 09: The Atlantic-10 logo on the floor before a college basketball game between the George Washington Colonials andthe Dayton Flyers at the Smith Center on January 9, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 09: The Atlantic-10 logo on the floor before a college basketball game between the George Washington Colonials andthe Dayton Flyers at the Smith Center on January 9, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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Atlantic 10 Basketball
Atlantic 10 Basketball Sincere Carry Duquesne Dukes (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

5. Duquesne Dukes

  • 2020-21 record: 1-1
  • Wins: vs. RV UNC Greensboro (81-68, neutral)
  • Losses: vs. Little Rock (76-66, neutral)

There could be an argument made for swapping the Dukes and Wildcats, but I am giving the edge to Duquesne here.  Keith Dambrot and his squad picked up a convincing victory over one of the best mid-major teams in UNC Greensboro while participating in Louisville’s MTE.  Their loss to Little Rock is nothing to be upset about, either.

The trio of Tavian Dunn-Martin (16.0 ppg), Marcus Weathers (15.0 ppg), and Sincere Carry (13.5 ppg, 4.5 apg) has been spectacular to start the season, and Michael Hughes has been huge in the post, supplying 10.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game.

Duquesne being good should come as no surprise.  They return 85% of their scoring from a team that went 21-9 last season and had wins over Austin Peay, Radford, and Saint Bonaventure – while sweeping Saint Louis and losing to Dayton by four.

They are mediocre both offensively and defensively, but they are among college basketball’s best in steals (44th with 9.5 spg) and they get to the line a lot, coming in at 29th with 26.5 attempts a game.  They knock down at least 20 freebies a game – good for the 17th-highest mark in Div. I.

COVID-19 protocol has forced Duquesne to pause, and they are currently scheduled to face a titan in Richmond when they return.  They should be even better by the time that game rolls around, however, given the recent news that the Dukes will add Pitt transfer and offensive weapon, Ryan Murphy, on Dec. 11.

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