Duquesne's nonconference schedule includes trip to Virgin Islands, renewal of series with DePaul

With seven new players and a renovated home court, the Duquesne men’s basketball team will open coach Keith Dambrot’s fifth season Nov. 9 against Rider.

Duquesne released its nonconference schedule Thursday, and Rider of the Metro Atlantic will be one of four first-time opponents, including UC Irvine (Big West), Weber State (Big Sky) and Wofford (Southern). All four schools finished second in their respective conferences last season.

Overall, Duquesne will play schools from at least 10 conferences in non-league play.

Duquesne will play its first full season at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse, including six of the 13 nonconference games. The Dukes won both of their games last season at Cooper Fieldhouse.

The Dukes, who are 21-4 in nonconference home games under Dambrot, follow the Rider opener with home games against Hofstra and Weber State on Nov. 13 and 15 before departing for St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, and the Paradise Jam on Nov. 19-22.

Duquesne will face Northeastern in the opening round of the Paradise Jam and will play either Colorado or Southern Illinois in Round 2. Possible opponents for the third game are Brown, Bradley, Colorado State and Creighton.

The Dukes return home to serve as host to American on Nov. 28 before meeting Bowling Green on Dec. 1 as part of a doubleheader with the Duquesne women’s team, who play Canisius in the opener.

Duquesne travels to Huntington, W.Va., for the first time since 1974 to play Marshall on Dec. 4 in the first of back-to-back road games. Then, it’s off to Chicago to face DePaul on Dec. 7 in a renewal of a 27-game series that was most recently contested in 1991. The Dukes and Blue Demons met for 14 consecutive years between 1964-77.

The Dukes return home to play New Hampshire (Dec. 11) as part of another men’s/women’s doubleheader with the women facing Saint Francis in the nightcap.

Duquesne and UC Irvine will play a neutral-site game Dec. 19 at LeBron James’ I Promise School in Akron, the hometown of James and Dambrot. This will be the third time Duquesne played at James’ school.

The final nonconference game is Dec. 22 against Wofford at the Cooper Fieldhouse.

Also, Duquesne will play a home game to be announced at PPG Paints Arena as part of the school’s responsibilities as host for the first and second rounds of the 2022 NCAA Tournament.