The date was December 8, 1981. Realistically, it was a slow news day in the world. The biggest event on the globe was a nuclear test performed by France.
 
The pop music chart was dominated by Olivia Newton-John and her, at the time, racy song "Physical". Others in the top 10 were Foreigner, The Police, the Commodores and Earth, Wind & Fire. Journey was moving up the charts with "Don't Stop Believin'".
 
At Stetson, Coach Glenn Wilkes' squad was off to a 1-3 start with consecutive losses to Clemson, Auburn and Mercer. The Hatters were hoping to break that skid when they hosted George Washington at the Edmunds Center. The result was a 75-68 win, sparking the Hatters to win nine of 12 games.
 
That victory, almost 36 years ago, was the last for a Stetson men's basketball team against a current program from the Atlantic 10 Conference.
 
The 2017-18 Hatters (6-4) will look to break that long drought in Pittsburgh, Pa., tonight when they face the Dukes of Duquesne (3-3). The game is scheduled for an 8 p.m. start, but that time is tentative based on the completion of a women's game between Duquesne and Toledo, which is scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. tip.
 
The game will be broadcast on the Atlantic 10 Network online as well as via the Duquesne Radio Network on WJAS 1320 AM or the iHeartRadio app. Live stats for the game will also be available through Stetsonstats.com.
 
The Dukes come into the game off an 86-61 victory over Maryland-Eastern Shore on Monday, snapping a three-game losing skid. Sophomore guard Mike Lewis tied his career-high in that game with 29 points thanks to six three-point baskets while freshman forward Eric Williams, Jr., scored a career high 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for his third double-double of the year.
 
"Any time you have to play on the road, in a hostile environment, it is a different territory," Stetson coach Corey Williams said. "They have some good guards who can get to the basket and post players that we are going to have to be aware of.
 
"We are going to live and die with our defense. It makes no difference where we play, or who we play, our defense has to be consistent."
 
In their last outing, the Hatters picked up the defensive intensity, holding Edward Waters to just 33.3 percent from the field, including 27.3 percent from three point range while forcing the Tigers into 22 turnovers.
 
The Dukes come into tonight's game averaging 72.8 points per game, just under the 74 points the Hatters are allowing per night. Both teams do a good job of protecting the basketball on offense, allowing 9.8 and 10.0 turnovers per game. Statistically, the teams match up well, so the outcome will be determined by effort and determination.

Noting the Hatters

• The Hatters open their second three-game road stretch of the year in Pittsburgh against Duquesne before travelling to Poughkeepsie, NY, to face Marist on Saturday. After taking a week off for finals, the Hatters will visit Fort Wayne.
• Stetson got scoring from 11 different players last Friday in a victory over Edward Waters. The Hatters scored 36 points off 22 Tigers turnovers and also scored 44 points in the paint.
• In his last four outings, senior Divine Myles has scored 81 points to move into ninth place on the Stetson career-scoring chart with 1,473 points. He moved past Bob Jenkins (1964-68) and is now 18 points from tying Frank Burnell (1979-83) for eighth on the scoring list.
• Senior Angel Rivera bounced back with 10 assists in the win on Friday after being held without an assist in the loss to Campbell the previous night.
• The Hatters and Dukes will be meeting for the first time since the 1981 season and for just the third time ever. Duquesne leads the series 2-0.
• Stetson has not had great fortune against teams from the Atlantic 10 over the years. The Hatters have faced 11 of the 14 schools in the league, but have just won six games against 22 losses.
• The most recent A-10 tilt for Stetson was against Richmond. The Spiders defeated the Hatters 108-85 in 2015 as part of the Las Vegas Invitational.
• After the game at Duquesne, the Hatters will travel to the Hudson Valley in New York for Saturday's game against Marist. It will be just the second meeting on the hardwood for Stetson against the Red Foxes, with the Hatters taking the only previous meeting 59-57 on December 7, 1984, in the Hatter Classic in DeLand.
• The game against Marist on Saturday is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start and will be broadcasts on ESPN3.

 
About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.