Duquesne needed a good start to this season to erase the stink of last year's disastrous finish, and sure enough, the Dukes have been even better so far than just about anyone could have expected.
Duquesne was in control throughout Tuesday night against a solid UC Santa Barbara team and picked up a 72-61 victory at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
The Dukes improved to 6-1 with the win, matching last season's victory total. They got off to a 6-7 start a year ago, then lost their final 17 games to finish 6-24.
Keith Dambrot put together a non-conference schedule with a lot of home games early, including some challenging but winnable games to help the team -- which is loaded with transfers -- build some confidence.