Credit score: David Jablonski
March can’t come quickly sufficient for the Flyer Trustworthy. The Dayton Flyers have waited seven years to listen to their names known as on Choice Sunday. The second on March 17, assuming it comes, can have additional which means as a result of it was stolen from them by the pandemic in 2020.
Some NCAA match consultants consider Dayton (21-4, 11-2) has already sewn up a NCAA match bid with 5 video games remaining within the common season.
“Even with solely two (Quadrant 1) wins, the Flyers are a lock,” wrote Justin Williams, of The Athletic, in his newest Bubble Watch story on Tuesday, “taking down Fordham on Saturday within the final remaining This autumn sport on the schedule.”
John Gasaway, of ESPN, listed Dayton as considered one of 22 locks for the match in one other Bubble Watch story on Tuesday. Dayton’s identify seems on all 98 brackets collected on BracketMatrix.com. It has a median seed of 4.94.
Whereas latest slumps by St. John’s and Cincinnati, two of the very best groups Dayton beat in non-conference play, have harm UD’s resume, it has not misplaced to anybody exterior the highest 75 of the NCAA Analysis Software. All of its losses are in Quad 1.
No. 16 Dayton will hope to proceed that development when it performs George Mason (17-8, 6-6) at 7 p.m. Wednesday at EagleBank Area in Fairfax, Va. Few Dayton followers or the Flyers themselves will make NCAA match plans — it doesn’t matter what the consultants say — till their workforce can get previous this sport and some tougher assessments remaining on the Atlantic 10 Convention schedule.
“We’ve simply need to have that next-game mentality,” mentioned Dayton ahead DaRon Holmes II on Saturday after a 78-70 victory against Fordham at UD Area. “We’re going to take pleasure in tonight, flush it after which transfer on and prepare for our subsequent opponent. No street sport goes to be straightforward, particularly on this convention. A number of groups are coming after us. We have now to ensure we’re locked in and do what we have to do to get the win.”
Listed here are 5 issues to know concerning the sport:
1. Properly-rested opponent: George Mason has alternated two-game successful streaks and three-game dropping streaks all through A-10 play: two victories adopted by three losses adopted by two victories adopted by three losses after which two victories. That leaves it in seventh place within the Atlantic 10 Convention.
In its final two video games, George Mason received 57-55 at Davidson on Feb. 10 after which beat George Washington 90-67 on Feb. 17 in Fairfax. The Patriots will play Dayton after an eight-day break.
On the George Mason Coach’s Show this week, first-year coach Tony Skinn was hopeful the additional relaxation will permit senior guard Darius Maddox time to get wholesome. He missed the final two video games with an harm.
“It’s labored out in our favor as we attempt to get Darius wholesome,” Skinn mentioned. “Having the ability to win at Davidson after which clearly taking good care of enterprise towards GW, if you understand something a couple of sprained ankle, seven to 10 days is large in getting again the boldness that you just want. It’s that point of the 12 months the place as a lot as prep is essential, being as wholesome as you will be down the stretch is simply as essential. We had a few days off. We ended up nonetheless having a three-day prep for Dayton. It’s been an excellent couple of days. We wanted to have the ability to form of press the reset button for our most essential a part of our season.”
Credit score: David Jablonski
2. Sequence historical past: Dayton leads the collection 10-5. George Mason has received two straight video games: 74-69 at Dayton final season and 50-49 at home in 2022. George Mason received each video games beneath coach Kim English, who left after two seasons to educate at Windfall.
Since George Mason joined the A-10 within the 2013-14 season, Dayton is 3-2 at George Mason and 1-2 in coach Anthony Grant’s tenure. The Flyers lost 85-67 at EagleBank Area in Grant’s first season.
“That is what we play for,” Skinn mentioned. “Anytime you’ve got an opportunity to host arguably the very best workforce in our convention, one of many higher groups within the nation, it’s all concerning the alternative and simply getting ready for it. They do some actually good issues and are one of many higher groups within the nation at taking pictures the three, one thing we’ve struggled with, however they’ve additionally struggled within the final two video games. Then once more, in addition they have arguably top-of-the-line gamers within the nation in DaRon Holmes. These two issues are going to be crucial for us to play nicely on Wednesday.”
George Mason is 12-2 at residence this season with the one losses coming towards two of the top-four groups within the A-10 standings: 54-50 to Virginia Commonwealth on Jan. 9; and 85-79 to Loyola Chicago on Feb. 7.
3. Gamers to observe: Keyshawn Corridor, a 6-7 sophomore guard, leads the workforce with 17.7 factors per sport. He averaged 5.4 factors final season as a freshman at UNLV. He didn’t play final season in UNLV’s 60-52 victory towards the Flyers
• Maddox, a 6-5 fourth-year guard, averages 13.8 factors. He performed the final three seasons at Virginia Tech. He scored 12 factors final season in Virginia Tech’s 77-49 victory towards Dayton.
• Amari Kelly, a 6-9 sixth-year ahead, averages 12.0 factors per sport. He spent three seasons at Duquesne after which two seasons at UNC Wilmington.
• 9 gamers noticed motion for George Mason at Dayton final season. Solely two stay on the roster. Ronald Well mannered, a 6-2 senior guard, averages 7.7 factors per sport. Malik Henry, a 6-8 senior ahead, averages 3.3
4. Strengths and weaknesses: George Mason ranks second in A-10 video games in 2-point field-goal proportion (52.5). Solely Dayton (54.7) has a greater quantity.
It is a matchup of two groups that play sluggish. George Mason ranks 332nd within the nation in adjusted tempo, in response to KenPom.com, and Dayton ranks 352nd out of 362 Division I groups.
5. Odds and rankings: KenPom.com offers Dayton an 61% probability of successful this sport. Dayton ranks nineteenth within the NCAA Evaluation Tool. George Mason is the fifth-highest-ranked A-10 workforce at No. 83.
It is a Quad 3 sport for Dayton as a result of it’s a house sport towards a workforce that ranks between 76 and 160. Dayton is 2-4 in Quad 1, 6-0 in Quad 2, 6-0 in Quad 3 and 7-0 in Quad 4.
It is a Quad 1 sport for George Mason. It’s 0-2 in Quad 1 with losses to Tennessee and Richmond.
WEDNESDAY’S GAME
Dayton at George Mason, 7 p.m., MASN, 1290, 95.7
Concerning the Writer
David Jablonski covers the Dayton Flyers and different sports activities for the Dayton Each day Information, Springfield Information-Solar and Journal Information.
