Get to Know: Portal Power Gives Duquesne New Look Ahead of Kentucky Showdown

Head coach Keith Dambrot hit the transfer portal hard over the offseason. After one game, the new-look Dukes are already looking better.

After an impressive season-opening win on Monday night, No. 4 Kentucky is back in action, welcoming Duquesne to Rupp Arena. 

For the uninitiated, here's all the pre-game information you'll need on the Dukes out of Pittsburgh, as well as some players to watch: 

• Duquesne cruised in its first game of the season, demolishing Montana 91-63.
• The Dukes' expectations are much higher this year following a 6-24 campaign last season, where they won just one conference game in the Atlantic 10 and lost their last 17 matchups. 
• Duquesne was picked to finish dead last in the Preseason A10 Poll. 
• KenPom Rating is 124 (out of 363), which ranks ninth out of 15 A10 teams.

Keith Dambrot 

• Dambrot enters his sixth year as Duquesne head coach. 
• Following the Montana win, his record as skipper is above .500, now at 72-71. 
• Duquesne is his third head D1 coaching gig. He previously served as HC at Central Michigan and Akron. His tenure at Akron lasted 13 seasons, where he compiled a 305-139 record, four MAC Regular Season Championships and three MAC Tournament Championships. 

Tevin Brewer

• Duquesne defeated Montana without arguably its best player, Florida International transfer Tevin Brewer. Brewer has reportedly been suffering from complications from an appendectomy surgery and was ruled out indefinitely. 
• Brewer is one of six returning DI players who averaged over 15.0 points and 5.0 assists per game in 2021-22.
• On Thursday, Brewer made an Instagram post with the caption "we back," meaning there's a chance he makes his season debut in Rupp Arena. 

Dae Dae Grant / Portal Power

• In Brewer's absence, Miami (OH) transfer guard Dae Dae Grant was the star of the show in the win over Montana, scoring 25 points on 100 percent shooting. He made all eight shots he took, six of which were 3-pointers.
• Grant started 84 games in three years at Miami where he scored almost 2,000 points. 
• Grant and Brewer are two of four transfers who are now on the Dukes. The pair had more combined assists (301) last season than Duquesne (300) had as a team.
• Senior forward Joe Reece brings in four years of D1 experience, three years at Old Dominion and one at Bowling Green. He scored 12 points and hauled in five rebounds against Montana. 
• Jimmy Clark III is a junior guard who played his first two seasons at VCU. He added eight points, three assists and three boards in the Montana win.
• The foursome has 2,692 points in 269 combined games (including 201 starts) of D-I experience.
• In addition to the four D-1 transfers, Dambrot has also brought in Second Team All-American JUCO guard Quincy McGriff. McGriff, a sophomore, led his Salt Lake
Community College team to the NJCAA championship game

Bottom line, a new-look Duquesne roster will provide UK a much stouter challenge than Howard was able to on Monday. It will be a decent-enough test ahead of the Champions Classic against Michigan State next week. 

Wildcats Today will have live coverage from Rupp Arena as No. 4 Kentucky looks to improve to 2-0 on the season. 

Watch: Ware, Livingston speak to the media ahead of Duquesne

More on Ware and his role here.

Reed Sheppard officially Signs to Kentucky

For more on the Wildcats' win over Howard, click here.

More on Cason Wallace's outstanding performance here.

Want the latest on national football and basketball recruiting, including Cats targets? Head over to SI All-American for the latest news, blogs, and updates about the nation's best prospects.

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