Keith Dambrot can diagram plays, teach players the proper way to a beat a ball screen and implore them to play better defense and hit the boards harder.

In short, do all those things coaches do while trying to build a winning team.

But Duquesne’s coach also knows those backboards with the orange rims and nets attached were hung for a reason. Putting the ball through the basket does teams a lot of good.

“If we shoot the ball (well), we become a very difficult team,” Dambrot said. “If we don’t, we become a good team but not a great team.”

And greatness is the goal, at least in relative terms within Duquesne’s program. The Dukes haven’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 1977, and despite a 12-2 start this winter — its best since 1971-72 — there are no guarantees going forward, starting Wednesday at St. Joseph’s Hagan Arena. It will be the first true road game for the Dukes, who have played their first 14 games on neutral floors.

Despite their vagabond existence, the Dukes (2-0 in the Atlantic 10) have found a comfort level with their inside game no matter where they play. Big men Marcus Weathers, 6-foot-5, and Mike Hughes, 6-8, are shooting a combined 60.2% (136 of 226). Graduate transfer Baylee Steele, 6-11, hits 43.5% of his shots, including 16 of 51 3-pointers.

But those 3-pointers have been a problem. The Dukes are hitting only 31%, 276th of 350 NCAA Division I teams. That’s down slightly from last year (32.2%, 286th).

Why the slightly better standing with an inferior percentage?

The NCAA moving the 3-point line back 16¾ inches from 20 feet, 9 inches to the international distance of 22 feet, 1¾ inches might be having a negative effect on 3-point shooting.

“The numbers indicate that it does,” Dambrot said. “Not just ours. Everybody in the country is probably a little bit down.”

In fact, 3-point shooting is at an all-time, NCAA-wide low (33.4%), according to numbers revealed Monday night by ESPN.

Pitt is down from 33.1% last season to 29.1% (324th among NCAA teams), but coach Jeff Capel is reluctant to blame it on a rule change.

“I haven’t really noticed much of an impact,” he said. “I don’t think the move back was that significant. To me, the only big thing is maybe you have more guys stepping out of bounds in the corners.

“For guys who can shoot, I don’t think it’s that much of a difference.”

Despite the longer distance, the 3-pointer remains a big part of college basketball.

Duquesne will see proof Wednesday against St. Joseph’s (3-11, 0-2). The Hawks are 11th in the nation in 3-point attempts (440, nearly half of its total of 885 attempts). But they’re making only 30.2% beyond the arc.

“If they make, it becomes a difficult game,” Dambrot said. “If they don’t make, then it becomes a marginally difficult game.”

Like Pitt’s situation, inaccurate long-range shooting might be impacted by the opponents. Dambrot said St. Joseph’s record is misleading, given its list of foes includes No. 15 Dayton, No. 16 Villanova and Florida.

“If we played that schedule, we’d have maybe a similar record to them,” Dambrot said.

Because 3s are a quick means of flipping momentum, Duquesne’s coach encourages his guards to shoot from long range when appropriate. Regulars Sincere Carry (36.7%), Tavian Dunn-Martin (34.5%) and Maceo Austin (33.3%) are approaching percentages that make a difference.

“Our bench has to improve,” he said. “We have to shoot the ball off the bench even better.”

Note: Dambrot said 6-9 sophomore forward Amari Kelly, who is recovering from a knee injury suffered in March, won’t play this season and will take a redshirt.

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