Brentaro Yamane | Staff Writer
Sept. 16, 2021
In accordance with the Atlantic 10 Conference, the Duquesne men’s basketball program released its 2021-22 conference schedule of games this past week.
Per usual, nine of Duquesne’s 18 conference games will be played in Pittsburgh. It will be the first time since the 2018-19 campaign that the Dukes’ entire home schedule will be played at an on-campus location.
Last season, the team finished .500 (7-7) in conference play. In three of the seven losses, Duquesne led at halftime (home versus Davidson and St. Bonaventure; on the road versus Dayton). Closing out pivotal conference games against top-tier teams is something that could be an essential ingredient for success this season.
Head Coach Keith Dambrot is entering his fifth year at the helm, having guided the program to a 35-33 record against A-10 competition during his tenure. Since he took over prior to the 2017-18 season, Duquesne has not finished higher than sixth in the conference’s regular-season standings.
The Dukes begin conference play on Dec. 30, when they travel to Davidson, N.C., to take on the Davidson Wildcats.
Duquesne fans will get their first taste of conference action at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse when George Mason (Jan. 2) and George Washington (Jan. 5) come to town.
The Dukes are also set to host a handful of nationally televised contests during A-10 play.
Defending conference champion St. Bonaventure will come to town on Jan. 21 for a Friday night game that is set to air on ESPN2. Duels with Dayton on Jan. 15 (NBC Universal) and Fordham on Feb. 12 (CBS Sports Network) will also showcase Duquesne’s renovated arena in front of a national audience.
Other home opponents include Saint Louis (Jan. 29), Richmond (Feb.1), Davidson (Feb. 23) and La Salle (March 5).
The away portion of the Dukes’ conference schedule consists of three two-game road trips.
Following the back-to-back contests against George Mason and George Washington, the Dukes will pair a trip to Massachusetts (Jan. 8) with a game at Fordham (Jan. 12).
Near the midway point of A-10 action, consecutive road contests against VCU (Feb. 5) and Dayton (Feb. 9) will provide a formidable challenge for Duquesne.
A back-to-back set of games at Rhode Island (Feb. 26) and at George Washington (March 2) — coupled by games at Saint Joseph’s (Jan. 26) and St. Bonaventure (Feb. 19) — helps round out Duquesne’s road slate of conference games.
Following the conclusion of the regular season, the Dukes will head to Capital One Arena in Washington for the Atlantic 10 Men’s Basketball Championship in early March.
