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Duquesne Basketball: 5 takeaways from first 10 games of 2021-22 season

By Tristan Freeman

DAYTON, OHIO - FEBRUARY 22: Head coach Keith Dambrot of the Duquesne Dukes directs his team in the game against the Dayton Flyers during the second half at UD Arena on February 22, 2020 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
DAYTON, OHIO - FEBRUARY 22: Head coach Keith Dambrot of the Duquesne Dukes directs his team in the game against the Dayton Flyers during the second half at UD Arena on February 22, 2020 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /
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Duquesne Basketball head coach Keith Dambrot Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

Head coach Keith Dambrot and Duquesne Basketball had a difficult offseason to navigate, losing nine players to either the transfer portal or professional ranks from the roster. There was a scramble to add some proven talent to the roster and get a team good enough to compete in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

The Dukes were predicted to finish 11th in preseason rankings (9th in my own) and looked on its way to disproving that, starting off the season with a home-opening win over Rider of the MAAC. But losses to both Hofstra and Weber State put a damper on the team’s expectations, before going to the Paradise Jam Tournament and losing to Northeastern and Colorado in overtime.

Wins against Bradley and American ended the four-game losing streak until a setback against Bowling Green created a new and current three-game losing streak. Duquense now sits at 3-7 on the season, with only George Washington having a worse record in the Atlantic 10.

But the Dukes haven’t been a complete trainwreck on the court, with five of the seven losses coming in the final minutes, including a game-tying three-pointer against them versus Colorado that prevented a massive upset. If it wasn’t for bad luck, this team could easily be over .500 on the season through 10 games. That being said, 3-7 is what they have currently.

There’s plenty to take away for Duquesne Basketball heading into this weekend’s game against New Hampshire, both good and bad. Here are my top five.

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