Credit score: David Jablonski \u201cWe\u2019ve simply need to have that next-game mentality,\u201d mentioned Dayton ahead DaRon Holmes II on Saturday after a 78-70 victory against Fordham<\/a> at UD Area. \u201cWe\u2019re 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\u2019re locked in and do what we have to do to get the win.\u201d 2. Sequence historical past: <\/b>Dayton leads the collection 10-5. George Mason has received two straight video games: 74-69 at Dayton<\/a> final season and 50-49 at home<\/a> in 2022. George Mason received each video games beneath coach Kim English, who left after two seasons to educate at Windfall. David Jablonski covers the Dayton Flyers and different sports activities for the Dayton Each day Information, Springfield Information-Solar and Journal Information.<\/p>\n
March can\u2019t 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.
\u201cEven with solely two (Quadrant 1) wins, the Flyers are a lock,\u201d wrote Justin Williams, of The Athletic, in his newest Bubble Watch<\/a> story on Tuesday, \u201ctaking down Fordham on Saturday within the final remaining This autumn sport on the schedule.\u201d
John Gasaway, of ESPN, listed Dayton as considered one of 22 locks for the match in one other Bubble Watch<\/a> story on Tuesday. Dayton\u2019s identify seems on all 98 brackets collected on BracketMatrix.com. It has a median seed of 4.94.
Whereas latest slumps by St. John\u2019s and Cincinnati, two of the very best groups Dayton beat in non-conference play, have harm UD\u2019s 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<\/a> 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 \u2014 it doesn’t matter what the consultants say \u2014 till their workforce can get previous this sport and some tougher assessments remaining on the Atlantic 10 Convention schedule.<\/p>\n
Listed here are 5 issues to know concerning the sport:
1. Properly-rested opponent: <\/b>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\u2019s Show<\/a> 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.
\u201cIt\u2019s labored out in our favor as we attempt to get Darius wholesome,\u201d Skinn mentioned. \u201cHaving 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\u2019s 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\u2019s 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.\u201d
Credit score: David Jablonski<\/p>\n
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\u2019s tenure. The Flyers lost 85-67<\/a> at EagleBank Area in Grant\u2019s first season.
\u201cThat is what we play for,\u201d Skinn mentioned. \u201cAnytime you’ve got an opportunity to host arguably the very best workforce in our convention, one of many higher groups within the nation, it\u2019s 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\u2019ve struggled with, however they\u2019ve 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.\u201d
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: <\/b>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\u2019s 60-52 victory<\/a> towards the Flyers
\u2022 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\u2019s 77-49 victory<\/a> towards Dayton.
\u2022 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.
\u2022 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:<\/b> 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:<\/b> KenPom.com<\/a> offers Dayton an 61% probability of successful this sport. Dayton ranks nineteenth within the NCAA Evaluation Tool<\/a>. 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\u2019s 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\u2019S GAME<\/b>
Dayton at George Mason, 7 p.m., MASN, 1290, 95.7
Concerning the Writer<\/p>\n