Duquesne to open season in Louisville's bubble against trio of strong teams

Duquesne will open its season by playing three 20-game winners from a year ago at the nine-team Wade Houston Tipoff Classic at Louisville’s KFC Yum! Center.

The Dukes will play North Carolina Greensboro on Nov. 29, Winthrop on Dec. 1 and Little Rock on Dec. 3. Game times will be announced at a future date. The UNCG game will be part of a tripleheader; Winthrop and Little Rock will confront the Dukes as part of doubleheaders.

The games are the first of the 2020-21 season to be announced by Duquesne.

Winthrop (24-10) and Little Rock (21-10) won the Big South and Sun Belt championships last season. UNCG (23-9) finished third in the Southern Conference.

Little Rock and UNCG are listed among “10 Mid-Majors to Watch” by CBS Sports’ college basketball analyst Jon Rothstein.

The Dukes (21-9) never have played Winthrop, UNCG and Little Rock, but coach Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot has a 4-2 all-time record against the trio.

“We’re excited to be part of the field and look forward to facing three quality opponents,” said Dambrot, entering his 23rd season as a Division I head coach and fourth at Duquesne.

“All three programs are talented, well-coached and have a winning pedigree. It will be a great early-season test for our team.”

There will be nine teams at the event, including Louisville, Seton Hall, Southern Illinois, Western Kentucky and Prairie View A&M. They will play a combined 18 games over a 10-day period.

Teams will be access to two practice courts within the bubble, including the practice court in the KFC Yum! Center and a full court in the Grand Ballroom of the Galt House Hotel. Teams also will use the court in the controlled Planet Fitness Kueber Center, Louisville’s campus practice facility.

The hotel is connected by an elevated walkway directly into the arena. With the exception of a possible bus trip for practice in the Planet Fitness Kueber Center, teams will not have to leave the hotel or the KFC Yum! Center while in Louisville.

Meanwhile, Duquesne continues to work on the remainder of its schedule.

“Scheduling changes from day-to-day, almost hour-to-hour,” Dambrot said. “We are happy to have this opportunity. The University of Louisville has put together a very competitive field, but most importantly, they have the health and well-being of the participating teams at the forefront.”