Live Wire: Indianapolis MTE canceled ... No positive tests ... Dukes staying active

Welcome to the Duquesne live wire, which will focus on news surrounding the Duquesne men's basketball team. 

Similar to the other team's live wires, this is also open commenting platform to any and all college basketball talk. Let's discuss some hoops!

INDY MTE CALLED OFF 

6:30 p.m. Thursday: Coach Dambrot has confirmed reports that the Indianapolis multi-team event (MTE) that Duquesne was planning to open its season in has been called off. This news was first reported by Jon Rothstein. 

Dambrot said last week during the Atlantic 10's virtual media day that the Dukes planned on playing two games in Indianapolis with Cincinnati being one of their opponents. 

On Tuesday, Loyola-Chicago, the third of three teams connected to the event, was forced to drop out due to having multiple players and staff members test positive for COVID-19. 

Dambrot tells me that Duquesne will now open its season on Monday, November 30 against Little Rock in the first of three games they will play in Louisville's Wade Houston Tipoff Classic. -- Noah 

NO POSITIVE TESTS 

2:00 p.m. Thursday: Good news for the team in Uptown! Coach Dambrot told me today that there were zero positives from the team's most recent round of testing, which took place on Saturday. 

The program has had just one positive test which came in mid-October during the first week of official practices. 

Dambrot also tells me that there is still no official word on who the Dukes will play in Indianapolis next week to start their season but those details will surface soon. -- Noah

GAME TIMES ANNOUNCED 

4:30 p.m. Tuesday: The University of Louisville has announced the dates and times for the Wade Houston Tipoff Classic. Duquesne, who will play three games in the event, had a few original dates reversed on their schedule due to pandemic related issues. Hear is when and who the Dukes will play in Louisville: 

• Monday, Nov. 30: Duquesne vs. Little Rock at 4 p.m.

• Wednesday, Dec. 2: Duquesne vs. UNC Greensboro at 1 p.m.

• Friday, Dec. 4: Duquesne vs. Winthrop at 11 a.m.

Each of Duquesne's three games will be broadcasted on ESPN3. -- Noah

LOYOLA OUT,
DUKES STILL IN 

3:20 p.m. Monday: Just hours after reports surfaced of Loyola-Chicago having to shut down all team activity due to positive COVID-19 tests, Jon Rothstein reports that the Ramblers will no longer participate in the Indianapolis multi-team event. 

Loyola's departure leaves just Cincinnati and Duquesne signed on to play in the event, which was originally planned to feature four teams. The event, which will start on Nov. 25, is still searching for at least one more team to sign on.

Dambrot says he was told Loyola-Chicago had 12 positive tests. He added that at this time, Duquesne is waiting to see what action Cincinnati takes. If the Bearcats decided to back out of the event, the Dukes will follow. 

"That's the whole dynamic of all of this," Dambrot said. "There is so much fluidity because you're so reliant on everyone else."

Winthrop, one of the three teams Duquesne will play in Louisville, is also currently shut down due to multiple positive COVID-19 tests. However, Dabrot says they should be good to play by their match up, which is scheduled for Dec. 1. 

Duquesne is still looking to book at least four more non-conference opponents. The Dukes have had just one positive test since summer workouts started in July. Dambrot tells me the team was last tested on Saturday so we will soon know if that number increases. -- Noah

ONE SPOT FOR
THE WHOLE DANCE 

11:32 a.m. Monday: The NCAA issued a press release late Monday morning announcing that the entire 2021 Men's Basketball National Tournament will be held in one location. The committee decided that it would be best to have the 68-team event played in a single geographic area to help limit travel during the pandemic. 

NCAA staff are in early talks with state leaders in Indiana and the city of Indianapolis to potentially play host for the tournament. Indianapolis was already slated to host the Men's Final Four from April 3-5. 

“The committee and staff have thoughtfully monitored the pandemic to develop potential contingency plans,” Mark Emmert, NCAA President said in the release. “The Board of Governors and my top priorities are to protect the health and well-being of college athletes while also maintaining their opportunity to compete at the highest level. These principles have guided the decision-making process as we continue to assess how to have a fair and safe championship experience.” -- Noah

ANOTHER OPPONENT
SHUT DOWN

11:17 a.m. Monday: It’s less than 10 days before the start of the college basketball season and there is already a likely change to be made in Duquesne’s incomplete non-conference schedule. According to a report from Jon Rothstein, Loyola-Chicago has paused basketball activities due to positive COVID-19 tests.

Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot has gone on the record multiple times saying Loyola would be one of at least three teams participating a Multi-team event in Indianapolis, where the Dukes plan to start their season. 

The only opponent Dambrot said he knew his team would be playing for sure was Cincinnati, the third of the three teams connected to the event. 

On Wednesday during the Atlantic 10’s virtual media day event, Dambrot said Duquesne would play two games in Indy before heading to Louisville for the Wade Houston Tipoff Classic. 

Depending on the dates of Loyola’s positive test, the Ramblers could be forced to back out of the MTE in Indy due to a forced quarantine period. If that’s the case, the Dukes will likely be without an opponent for that second game. -- Noah

THEY GOT HIM

10:07 a.m. Monday: Dambrot announced on Monday morning the the program has landed it's first member of the 2021-22 recruiting class. Andy Barba (Cleveland, Ohio / Benedictine / International Sports (Ohio) Academy) has signed a National Letter of intent to play for Duquesne next season.

Barba, a 6-foot-6 forward, averaged 14 points per game last season against a national schedule while playing for the International Sports Academy (ISA). Prior to his enrollment at ISA, Barba attended Cleveland Benedictine high school. Barba verbally committed to Duquesne on Oct. 27. 

"Andy is a good fit for Duquesne," Dambrot said in a press release. "He's a model student and citizen who has worked very hard to become a complete player. He's multi-dimensional on the offensive end with high-level shooting ability. He's a true 'positionless' player who can help us in many different areas. He's also the definition of a gym rat with a great work ethic. We look forward to having him on campus."

247 Sports has Barba ranked as a two star recruit. He held offers from Columbia, Miami (Ohio), Tennessee State, Texas A&M, Washington State and Youngstown State. He will compete as a postgraduate at ISA this season. -- Noah