Duquesne Basketball: 3 keys to opening matchup with Cleveland State

Duquesne Basketball takes on a tough opponent in Cleveland State to open the 2023-24 season. What are some keys to the matchup?

It’s been literal decades since Duquesne Basketball last made the NCAA Tournament. But expectations are high for this senior-laden roster with plenty of potential. They have the chance to put that potential on the floor against Cleveland State, a contender in the Horizon League who returns three of five starters from last season.

Here’s a look at the keys to the matchup from the Dukes’ side.

1. Kareem Rozier runs the offense

Even though they lost starter Tevin Brewer this offseason, Duquesne didn’t add a veteran point guard to this roster. That means sophomore Kareem Rozier will be the guy, who averaged 3.9 ppg and 2.1 apg in 16 mpg off the bench last season. He was a standout perimeter defender and viewed as a leader in the lockeroom but without much depth, he’ll be tasked with playing around 30 mpg this season. Cleveland State and its athletic guards will be a good opening test for him.

2. Defending Tristan Enaruna

Speaking of “tests”, Duquesne will be dealing with the frontcourt duo of Enaruna and Tae Williams inside. Enaruna led the team with 15.6 ppg and 6.5 rpg last season and is a former top-40 prospect from Kansas so he’s a legit player to deal with. The Dukes likely will have Halil Barre start at center, with Tre Williams at the four-spot. But with so much frontcourt depth, the team could very well play smaller and have Williams focus on Enaruna since he’s the best interior defender on the team. Shut him down and the Dukes should have an easy time.

3. Figuring out frontcourt rotation

With Rozier, Dae Dae Grant and Tre Clark the clear starters on the perimeter, the big question is how will Coach Keith Dambrot work out the minutes for all of the bigs. Tre Williams will get his but everyone else’s is up in the air. Georgia Southern transfer Andrei Savrasov is the lone floor spacer among the bigs, while Fousseyni and Hassan Drame are versatile twin transfers from La Salle. And Barre and David Dixon were solid contributors as freshmen last season.

Cleveland State isn’t the biggest team in the world but the future opponents, like College of Charleston and other A-10 teams, are. It’ll be interesting to see who gets playing time, as well as who ultimately is the most effective on Monday night.