Last season, Duquesne Basketball started out the season 0-6 overall. That makes the Dukes' non-conference campaign for next season all the more interesting, to see if they can get off to a better start. While no team in the Atlantic 10 has released a full conference schedule yet, we’ve seen some updates from teams on reported non-conference opponents to watch.
That includes a few nuggets reported about Duquesne’s schedule for next season, including the pairings for the league schedule. Here are some early takeaways about who the Dukes will be facing.
1. Villanova MTE
One of the early notes for the Dukes' schedule is being part of an MTE group, hosted by the Villanova Wildcats. The two other teams who’ll Duquesne will host in November are Sacred Heart (15-18, 10-10 MAAC) and Queens (20-15, 11-7 ASUN), before going on the road to play the Wildcats.
Villanova MTE (Nov. TBA, 3 games)
— Steven Decker (@stevendecker37) July 8, 2025
Duquesne (A 10, 2 home games); Queens (ASUN, reclassifying year 4 of 4, 1 home game); Sacred Heart (MAAC); Villanova (Big East, 3 home games)
Villanova has an entirely new roster, led by former Maryland HC Kevin Willard. Some key players to watch include returning guard Tyler Perkins and transfers Devin Askew and forward Duke Brennan.
2. Mountain West road swing
In the second week of December, the Dukes will go out west to take on both Nevada and Boise State on the road. The Broncos won 26 games last season but missed the NCAAT, playing in the Crown. They lost star forward Tyson Degenhart but brought back two key pieces in forwards, Andrew Meadow and Javan Buchanan.
Sources: Nevada will host Duquesne as part of its 2025-26 non-conference schedule. The date is set for Saturday, December 13th at Lawlor Events Center.#MWC #A10MBB
— Rocco Miller (@RoccoMiller8) June 6, 2025
Nevada went 17-16 and was in the bottom half of the Mountain West, with seven of the top eight scorers from the season gone. Guard Tyler Rolison (7.4 ppg and 2.0 apg) returns and is joined by several transfers, including Tayshawn Comer (16.2 ppg and 4.1 apg at Evansville) and Corey Camper Jr. (10.5 ppg at UTEP). We’ll see if these newcomers are good enough to get the Wolf Pack back into contention.
3. A-10 pairings
The dates aren’t out, but we’ll know who Duquesne will be facing in A-10 play, including the ones they’ll have home-and-homes with. Those teams include Dayton, Davidson, Rhode Island, St. Bonaventure, and Saint Louis. Among these, the Flyers and Billikens are viewed as preseason contenders, while the Wildcats have historically been hard for the Dukes to beat.
There are still eight more non-con opponents for the Dukes to schedule for next season. We’ll see if there are any power conference opponents among them, along with who’ll be the opener in early November.