AMHERST, Mass. – The Atlantic 10 entered the season with a lot of question marks about who would be contending for the top spot. Looking at the standings on Wednesday, most were probably not all that surprised to see Xavier, Temple and Richmond as the top three teams, although each had question marks entering the season. The surprise is the team right behind them, the one that was last to get their first conference loss. That would be Duquesne, who had a convincing 81-63 win at UMass on Wednesday night.
The Dukes aren’t getting a great deal of pub, but they can’t be ignored for what they’re doing on the basketball court right now. They’re 9-2 in the Atlantic 10 and playing like a true dark horse come conference tournament time as they are coming of age. They are also perhaps the best team in a middle of the pack that isn’t as good this season as it has been the last couple of years, and that might be enough to get a bye into the quarterfinals of the conference tournament in a few weeks.
Two big things are driving this team, one that’s not the most talented in the world and one that doesn’t have a lot of size: chemistry and a winning pedigree. Wednesday night’s game showed the chemistry this team has, as they showed an excellent feel for one another and an unselfishness that extended right down the stat sheet. Not only did leading scorer Bill Clark hand out seven assists with just one turnover, but Damian Saunders showed his nice feel for the game with a lot of good passes from the middle of their zone offense. Teammates picked up on that as well.
“I feel like we have five guards on the floor at all times,” said Clark, the team’s leading scorer. “Everyone can dribble the ball and pass the ball, so I think that’s a good thing. We may be small, but we’re feisty, we really get after it and we do a good job of sharing the ball.”
The winning pedigree all started before several players came to Pittsburgh. Saunders and B.J. Monteiro have been long-time teammates and each won a state title in Connecticut. T.J. McConnell and Mike Talley are both sons of coaches, and Talley won a state title last year in Michigan. Talley’s father played at Michigan with the Fab Five before coaching him. McConnell’s father was an All-American before becoming a coach.
McConnell and Talley are a rarity in college basketball: two freshmen guards who primarily assume a point guard spot and have made an impact. Their lineage has certainly helped, as both show an excellent feel for the game. Ron Everhart expected that they would contribute this season, but the way they have continued to do it has been a pleasant development.
“I’ve been impressed with those kids on a different level just because from a physical standpoint, I didn’t know if they could keep up and be this competitive and this fast this long,” said the Duquesne mentor.
McConnell knows how to run a team, but he can also score as needed. Talley was a constant thorn in UMass’ side on Wednesday night with 13 points on 5-8 shooting, including 3-5 from long range, in 20 minutes. On occasion he starts, and there are times the two freshmen play together. Both can score, as teammates noted, but they know how to pass as well. Everhart noted that they did a good job of looking for Saunders in the middle of the zone so he could find someone, as he did all night long.
The Dukes have additional help in the backcourt that they didn’t have at the beginning of the season. Since junior Eric Evans returned from a foot injury that required surgery, the Dukes are 12-2. He hasn’t put up big numbers, but he’s been one reason the freshmen guards have made the impact they have. Evans adds a veteran presence and plays the way this team does, and that’s one reason Everhart has started him the last two games.
“I always think if I’m going to make an error, I’m going to make an error on the side of a guy who’s been through the wars,” said Everhart. “He’s been through an A-10 championship game.”
Duquesne was the last Atlantic 10 team to suffer its first conference loss. They lost two in a row prior to Wednesday night, but came back and responded well on the road. They established early on that it could be a long night for UMass, and kept it up. In the first few minutes, they weren’t able to capitalize much on getting more possessions from turnovers and offensive rebounds, but then they started making shots. From that point on, it was a long night indeed for the home team.
“I thought defensively, we played with a great deal more energy and effort, and had the type of motor that I don’t know that we had the last couple of games,” said Everhart. “We got after it and got to the ball quickly.”
The Dukes will finish the regular season with three of five on the road, none of them easy trips as they go to Dayton, Saint Louis and Richmond. They’re in pretty good shape for another postseason trip, but they would certainly like more. If their response to their recent adversity is any indication, they will have a chance in Atlantic City. By then, they won’t be such a surprise team in contention any longer.
