After a tough road loss to Dayton, Duquesne Basketball comes back home to take on St. Joe's to try and avoid a season sweep.
After the surprise home loss to Davidson, Duquesne Basketball (14-10, 4-7) was starting at the bottom of both the A-10 standings and the season overall. They've bounced back from an eye-test perspective, beating St. Bonaventure on the road for a season sweep, followed by leading Dayton on the road with eight minutes to go, before the wheels fall off late.
Up next for the Dukes is St. Joe's (16-9, 6-6 A-10), coming off a 64-59 road loss at Loyola-Chicago. They have a home win over Duquesne , 71-69, on a last-second putback basket. That was without Dae Dae Grant, who will be healthy for the rematch. However, some key players for the Hawks might not be available on Saturday, one of a few keys to the game.
1. Preparing for potentially not facing Lynn Greer or Christ Essandoko
This time around, it may be the Hawks who are shorthanded in the matchup. They were without two stars in big man Essandoko (8.6 ppg and 6.6 rpg) and starting point guard Greer (11.7 ppg and 4.0 apg). These were the two stars of the last game, as Essandoko torched the Dukes for 21 points and 12 rebounds, while Green had 10 of his 12 points in the second half.
We won't know his status until Saturday but St. Joe's doesn't have a ton of depth to replace them. Anthony Finkley had four assists to lead them on Wednesay but they had just nine assists as a team. And while Rasheer Fleming is an outstanding defender, the 6'9 forward playing at the five makes them a much smaller lineup. We'll see which of these two key players suits up on Saturday.
2. Slow down the red-hot Xzayvier Brown
It's well-known that St. Joe's had one of the best group of guards in the Atlantic heading into the season, with Greer, Erik Reynolds, and Cameron Brown. But the best guard in the group has been Xzayvier Brown, a 6'2 freshman guard who is now averaging 12.8 ppg and 3.2 apg. He's coming off a 27-point performance against Saint Louis and 29 versus Loyola, taking over for Reynolds as the go-to guard.
Duquesne held him in check the first game, going for 11 points and five assists on 3/11 shooting. They'll need to make sure he doesn't go off again and if Greer doesn't play, he'll be the defacto point guard. That being said, don't forget about Reynolds on the wing, who is still capable of going for 30 on a given night.
3. Continued good play from the five-spot
Even without Grant, the Duquesne guards played St. Joe's to a draw in the first go-around. It was the frontcourt edge that gave the Hawks the win. Essandoko dominated all three centers for the Dukes, including David Dixon, who played just 16 minutes off the bench. He's played much better as of late, combining to score 20 points and eight rebounds against Chad Venning (St. Bonaventure) and DaRon Holmes (Dayton). Between him and Fousseyni Drame's play, the frontcourt has been able to keep up on offense, which is why the Dukes have been in games against good opponents.
If Essandoko plays, it's going to be a challenge for the Dukes inside again. But even if he doesn't, Fleming won't be any easier to score on. If you hope that the guard battle ends in a draw again, getting good play from the centers for 40 minutes will be a key to avoiding a season sweep.