On Nov. 5, 2019, the Duquesne Dukes were opening their season with a 94-67 win over Princeton.

This year, they are just beginning to figure out their schedule.

Hey, at least there is a schedule and there are games to play. That’s a start. With the way things have been going in the college basketball world, I wasn’t sure if we’d see any games this year.

So color me thrilled.

Keith Dambrot’s Dukes will play in Louisville’s multi-team event. It’s called the Wade Houston Tipoff Classic, and it will be staged at the KFC Yum! Center from Nov. 25 through Dec. 4.

It’s a smaller version of the bubble formats we saw in the NBA and the NHL as they rebooted after coronavirus layoffs. According to the Duquesne University press release, “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 dual facilities of the Galt House Hotel or KFC Yum! Center during their stay in Louisville.”

The Dukes will take on the University of North Carolina Greensboro on Sunday, Nov. 29, Winthrop on Tuesday, Dec. 1 and Little Rock on Thursday, Dec. 3. The UNCG game will be part of a tripleheader, while the Winthrop and Little Rock games will be part of doubleheaders. Game times haven’t been decided yet.

UNCG is coming off its fourth straight 20-win season (23-9). The Spartans return 12 players including Southern Conference Player and Defensive Player of the Year senior guard Isaiah Miller. They were third in the Southern Conference last year.

Winthrop won the Big South championship and automatic bid to the canceled 2020 NCAA Tournament at 24-10.

Little Rock, the defending Sun Belt champions, return their entire roster from last year’s 21-10 team.

The host team Louisville will also be joined by Seton Hall, Southern Illinois, Western Kentucky and Prairie View A&M.

The Dukes may still be able to schedule a few non-conference games before the tournament in Louisville.

I spoke with Dukes coach Keith Dambrot about that possibility in Thursday’s “Breakfast With Benz” podcast. Beyond the Louisville MTE, we delved into how the team is overcoming a jagged preseason. A hope is that because Dambrot’s club returns eight contributors with experience, that may offset an offseason with limited time together in practices.

Also, Dambrot’s former prized high school product, LeBron James, knows all about success in a bubble situation. He led the Los Angeles Lakers to the NBA championship in October. And we’ll find out if the coach got any advice from his pupil about how to best navigate that situation.

Meanwhile Dambrot gets into what it was like to watch a player he used to coach win the NBA Finals MVP for a fourth time.

“I talked to him throughout the playoffs,” Dambrot said. “When I watched him, I really wanted him to win for his sake. I felt like my son was playing. My friend. My relative. I really wanted him to get that fourth championship for him. Because he puts everything he has into it on a daily basis, and puts winning above all else. Which is a tribute to him.”

Plus, we looked at what the Atlantic 10 may do, and Dambrot gives us a construction update on the Dukes’ new UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.

Listen: Tim Benz speaks with Duquesne Dukes coach Keith Dambrot about the upcoming season

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)