Game Preview: Duquesne Dukes vs. West Virginia Mountaineers

Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2009

Duquesne Dukes (6-2) v No. 6 West Virginia Mountaineers (5-0)

The No. 6 West Virginia Mountaineers will face off against the Duquesne Dukes on Wednesday in Morgantown.

The Mountaineers came away with a narrow 68-63 victory, and their sixth consecutive win over the Dukes, the last time these two met on Dec. 13, 2008.

West Virginia has some serious depth this season including two MOP candidates in Da’Sean Butler and Devin Ebanks. WVU has dominated an easy non-conference slate including an 84-66 victory over Portland on Sunday night, claiming the 76 Classic Championship title.

Butler tied his season high of 26 points making 10-of-16 shots and pulling down six rebounds in the win, while Kevin Jones added a season-best 17 points, with Ebanks coming off the bench to score 14.

The Mountaineers have proven they can beat overmatched opponents even without one of its best players. Ebanks missed the first three games of the season, and the Mountaineers still picked up wins against Loyola, Citadel and Long Beach State.

The big story for Duquesne is that they will be missing sophomore guard Melquan Bolding for Wednesday’s game. Bolding suffered a fractured right wrist in a season-opening victory over Nicholls State and could be out until late December.

Despite Bolding’s absence the Dukes are off to a good start as junior guard Bill Clark and junior forward Damian Saunders have been key contributors. Clark is averaging 19.0 points and 6.9 rebounds a game while Saunders is scoring 15.1 points and grabbing an average 14.4 rebounds a game. Sophomore guard B.J. Monteiro has also stepped up and is averaging 13.3points and 6.3 rebounds per game.

The odds makers currently have the Mountaineers at -14 point favorites.

Both teams have been impressive despite the loss of their star players. Devin Eubanks had 15 points and 10 rebounds in last year’s contest against the Dukes, as WVU rallied in the second half for the win. This will be a hard fought win with a narrow margin victory for the Mountaineers.