Remember two years ago? David Dixon wishes he could forget it. Don’t be confused: Duquesne’s elder statesman is quite proud of the late-season run he and his team made en route to just the school’s second Atlantic 10 championship in men’s basketball.
Just don’t keep bringing it up, all right?
And while you’re at it, please don’t talk about last year’s truly forgettable team, either. The Dukes went from 25 victories in 2023-24 to 19 losses in 2024-25.
What about this year’s bunch? Well, the Dukes certainly have seen their share of struggles, but it’s looking a whole lot better in February than it was in December.
With eight regular-season games remaining, Duquesne (13-10, 5-5) has moved into contention for a first-round bye in next month’s A-10 Tournament at PPG Paints Arena after winning back-to-back games against Rhode Island and George Mason.
“I feel like we’re our own team,” Dixon, the 6-foot-9 post player, said amid final preparations a day before Saturday’s matinee encounter with George Washington (13-10, 4-6) at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
Dixon, one of only four A-10 seniors to have remained with their original team for four years, prefers the follow the hokey “one-day-at-a-time” routine, choosing to ignore its label as arguably the oldest and most over-used cliche in history.
So, too, does fellow senior Alex Williams, whose season-high 25 points on the road sparked Wednesday’s eye-opening 71-65 upset of George Mason (20-3, 8-2), which remained as the team with the A-10’s second-best record behind league-leading No. 19 Saint Louis (22-1, 10-0).
What’s more, the Dukes did it without their leading scorer (Tarence Guinyard) and leading rebounder (Jakub Necas), who were out with injuries.
“In February,” Dixon said, “you’re getting close to March, you’re in conference play, every single win matters. Outside of Saint Louis, every single team is pretty close. We just beat the No. 2 team in the conference in their own gym.”
And don’t forget — albeit with a healthy roster — Duquesne nearly upset Saint Louis as well before bowing to the Billikens, 81-77, on Jan. 20 at “The Coop.”
Only No. 2 Michigan (22.5 ppg), No. 7 Iowa State (21.7) and No. 1 Arizona (21.0) were beating opponents by a wider average margin than Saint Louis (20.6).
“Our mindset always has been that we can play with anybody in the conference,” Williams, no relation to Duquesne’s Jimmie Williams — the Dukes’ second-leading scorer — said.
A bullish 6-5, 225-pound senior, Alex Williams has been playing with the passion of a guy who had been restricted for too long.
That he was.
But the Furman transfer of two years ago finally is healthy after missing all of last season following foot surgery. He’s fifth in scoring (7.4 ppg) for Duquesne, despite coming off the bench in the first 21 games before lighting up the scoreboard against George Mason in his first start when Guinyard (16.1 ppg, 5.7 apg) and Necas (8.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg) were scratched.
Both players were listed as questionable for Saturday’s game. Guinyard is nursing an upper-body injury after entering concussion protocol earlier this week, and Necas is dealing with a lower-body ailment.
“It’s, obviously, bad to not have them out there, but guys stepped up,” Williams said. “Guys were out there to impact winning.
“We have a deep roster. Guys are just willing to sacrifice what they want for the betterment of the team. It’s taking us a long way, and we’ve just been playing together. The energy has been amazing. We’ve been feeding off the bench. We have strength in numbers. When we all lock in and worry about the right things, there’s nobody that can stop us.”
Duquesne coach Dru Joyce III, too, struck a more confident tone.
Speaking over the constant sound of bouncing balls by several Dukes players still on the court long after the conclusion of practice, Joyce spent much of his time talking about the importance of a sound defensive plan.
A plan that seemed invisible at times when Duquesne’s offense was exploding earlier in the season, at one point averaging in the mid-to-high-80s.
The Dukes’ “O” has retreated to a scoring average of 82.3 points — fourth in the A-10 — while its “D” has improved from last to next-to-last in points allowed (76.2).
Duquesne hasn’t given up more than 71 points in five of its past seven games. In addition to the 65 points by George Mason, the other three opponents’ totals were 59, 61 and 63.
“We really showed some toughness in battling back in that (George Mason) game,” Joyce said, referring to an eight-point deficit late in the second half. “It starts in the defensive end. Kudos to them for staying the course, staying connected, continuing to fight. Ultimately, the game came down to the last 4 minutes, and we made some baskets, got some huge stops.”
About that “one-day-a-time” thing, Joyce preferred to take the same path as has Dixon, Alex Williams and, presumably, the rest of his crew.
They’re all keenly aware of the opportunity for a conference tournament first-round bye in a few weeks. They surely understand the magnitude of Duquesne’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in decades just two seasons ago.
Joyce remembers it well, having served on that stellar team as coach Keith Dambrot’s associate head coach before taking over the program last season.
The attention now is on George Washington, Saturday’s opponent, whose roster includes former Duquesne guard Tre Dinkins (10.3 ppg), one of five double-digit scorers for the Revolutionaries. Dinkins last season led Duquesne in scoring (12.9).
“The opportunity in front of us only pertains to this Saturday,” Joyce said. “That’s the one. There’s no other opportunity that we have any concern or are looking forward to.”
Dixon, who contributed 13 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks to Duquesne’s rousing victory at George Mason, still dreams of holding another A-10 championship trophy. (He is one of three players who remain from that 25-12 team that won a first-round NCAA Tournament game against No. 21 BYU, joining Necas and Jake DiMichele, both juniors.)
But only for a moment. Then, he wakes up.
“Taking it one day at a time really is important,” Dixon said. “If you’re thinking about too many things at once, you’re kind of messing yourself up. Just take it one day at a time and just try a little bit better every single day. You’re building a routine of getting better and trying your hardest to do something every day.”
Come Saturday, it might be another step toward … Aw, forget about it.