Duquesne Basketball: 3 takeaways from 7th place performance in Cayman Islands Classic

Duquesne Basketball entered the Cayman Islands Classic winless at 0-4. Although they had opportunities to win some games, they were competitive in all of them. However, after close losses to South Dakota State and Hampton, the Dukes broke through on Tuesday, winning 67-54 over Old Dominion. 

Coach Dru Joyce has the first win of his D-I head coaching career, and Duquesne Basketball has a week before its next game versus Saint Peter’s. But first, here are some takeaways from their last few games in the tropics.

1. Jake DiMichele should be the go-to option

While Duquesne finished seventh, they did get someone on the All-Tournament team. Jake DiMichele was the team's top scorer, scoring 10 points against South Dakota State and 13 versus Hampton. He’s the 6th Man off the bench but second on the team in scoring, averaging 10.9 ppg on 50% shooting from the field. Whether he ever starts or not, DiMichele needs to be on the floor in crunch time to maximize the team’s offense.

2. Chabi Barre needs to be part of rotation going forward

In the first four games, the junior center missed due to injuries. But Barre got the chance to get on the court in the tournament after David Dixon got ejected against Hampton and played well with eight points and 11 rebounds, followed by 10 points and seven rebounds versus Old Dominion in 16 minutes. Eli Wilborn didn’t play in the last two games, so we’ll see what the rotation looks like the rest of the way. But the Dukes now have a three-man rotation at center and can deal with foul trouble going forward.

3. 3s and Fts remain a main issue

It’s good for Duquesne to finally get a win, but two issues look to be long-term problems for the team this season. They now rank 360th in the country with 59% FT shooting and give up .395% shooting from deep, good for 353rd out of 364 teams. 

Outside of David Dixon, the bigs are all awful from the line, with Jahsean Corbett (42%) taking the most shots on the team. However, guards Maximus Edwards, Kareem Rozier, and Jake DiMichele are also in the 60% range, which isn’t acceptable. The 3-pointers will eventually stop falling on the opposing side, but if the Dukes keep leaving points at the FT line, they’ll continue to struggle to win games.