The Aftermath of the URI loss

Here are our new rankings after the URI loss:
RPI - #44
Sagarin rating - #28
Pomeroy Rank - #45

The loss to Rhode Island was tough but let's be honest we hung with one of the top 25 teams in the country at their gym. The question remains how will Duquesne respond to such a tough loss. The Dukes travel to New York this Saturday to face Bryant Dunston (pictured below) and the Fordham Rams.

Duquesne won its first game in the A10 defeating Fordham by 12 at the Palumbo Center last week. The Dukes held Fordham sharpshooter Marcus Stout to 4 points on 2-11 from the field, on the season Stout is averaging 14 ppg. Bryant Dunston did absolutetly nothing for Fordham in the first half against Duquesne, he missed his first 3 shots, lost his confidence and was a non-factor until the 2nd half. The scary thing about Dunston is that he ended the game with 19 points and 11 rebounds. What will Dunston do at home when he is playing with confidence for the entire game?

This guy freaking scares me!

Duquesne worked very hard to stop Stout and limit Fordham's perimeter threat in their first meeting and they were successful, but the Dukes need to try something new against Dunston this weekend. Beating Fordham a second time, at their gym, will not be an easy task, especially if we fail to keep a strong focus on stopping Stout and Dunston.

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Here are some quotes from the Barons:

URI Head Coach Jim Baron: "This is a tough, hard-nosed, very athletic team. They're a really good basketball team. These guys are good players."

6'3 junior guard Jimmy Baron: "Duquesne's very balanced and Shawn James has added a great presence inside. He's a big-time defensive presence and they have great penetrating guards."