The Cleveland State Vikings and Duquesne Dukes meet Monday in college basketball action at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.

Cleveland State Vikings Betting Preview

The Cleveland State Vikings are coming off 21 wins last season and have won 19 or more games in the last 3 years. Cleveland State enters the second season under coach Daniyal Robinson. Tristan Enaruna returns after averaging 15.6 points and 6.5 rebounds, while Tae Williams averaged 11.1 points and 1.6 assists. Drew Lowder played in 862 minutes last season, and Jayson Woodrich averaged 2.5 rebounds. The Cleveland State Vikings lost a lot of their depth from last season, but they bring back their top-3 scorers. Cleveland State has a lot of ground to replace, but having its top players from a year ago, including one of the best players in the Horizon in Enaruna, the Vikings will be a contender in the conference this season.

Duquesne Dukes Betting Preview

The Duquesne Dukes are coming off a 20-win season and enter year 7 under coach Keith Dambrot. Duquesne hasn’t had two straight winning seasons since 2018-19. Dae Dae Grant returns after averaging 15.5 points and 4.6 rebounds, while Jimmy Clark III averaged 12.2 points and 2.5 assists. Tre Williams played in 768 minutes last season and David Dixon averaged 3 rebounds. The Duquesne Dukes also lost a lot of depth from last season, but bring back their top-2 scorers. Duquesne had just two double-digit scorers from last season, and they’re back. While there’s a lot of new faces, Duquesne will have a shot in the A10, with Grant and Clark suiting up for their second seasons in Pittsburgh. 

Randy’s Pick

The Cleveland State Vikings have a great player leading the way, but they have a lot of depth to replace, and it’s not ideal to start the season on the road. The Duquesne Dukes have similar issues, but they return more of their core than the Vikings, and they’re at home to give a boost. We’re not being asked to lay anything crazy, given some of the other lines out there. I’ll lay the chalk with Duquesne in this season opening contest.