Dayton Flyers
Atlantic 10 (20-12, 9-7)
Dayton has been a consistent contender in the Atlantic 10. Their coaches are generally coveted by other schools (for instance, Oliver Purnell). The Flyers have won 20 games in each of the last five years, and they have made the postseason in each. Current coach Archie Miller has Dayton in the top half of the Atlantic 10 in 2011-2012, despite losing an important piece in Josh Benson due to injury. They have some strong wins to their credit, but posted some inconsistent performances mid-conference season that kept them out of the conference race.
Big Wins: 12/7 Alabama (74-62), 1/4 Saint Louis (79-72), 1/7 at Temple (87-77)
Bad Losses: 11/15 at Miami OH (67-72), 1/28 Rhode Island (81-86), 2/29 at Richmond (71-82)
Coach: Archie Miller (1 season at Dayton)
Why They Can Surprise:
Dayton is pretty fundamentally sound. They share the ball well and rebound well. They average 71.9 points per game, but they really get the most out of each possession. They are top 55 in the country in assists per game. Their brand of team basketball has earned them victories over teams like Alabama and Temple, who won the conference. They are strong from the outside as well, hitting nearly eight three-pointers per game. They can put teams away when they’re ahead, and they have the ability to come back if they fall behind. Should a tournament game go down to the wire, the Flyers can seal it at the foul line. They are fourth in the nation in free-throw shooting at nearly 77%.
Why They Can Disappoint:
It’s going to be hard for Dayton to replace the production they lost when Benson went down in November. He was the third leading scorer and took up valuable minutes for Brian Gregory. Devin Oliver has stepped into a bigger role, but it’s hard to replicate what an entrenched starter does. Also, this team is a liability on defense. Their opponents score nearly 68 points per game, which does not provide very much breathing room for the Flyers. They do not force many turnovers either. They are not a very big team, so they have a difficult time altering shots. They will need to maximize their strong fundamentals offensively in order to avoid their shortcomings on defense.
Probable Starters:
Kevin Dillard, Junior, Guard, 13.0 ppg, 6.0 apg
Paul Williams, Senior, Guard, 9.1 ppg, 1.8 apg
Chris Johnson, Senior, Forward, 12.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg
Devin Oliver, Sophomore, Forward, 4.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg
Matt Kavanaugh, Junior, Forward-Center, 9.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Josh Parker, Senior, Guard, 8.7 ppg, 1.8 apg
Luke Fabrizius, Senior, Forward, 5.9 ppg
Alex Gavrilovic, Freshman, Forward, 4.0 ppg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 71.9 (81st in nation, 6th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 67.6 (194, 7)
Field-Goal Percentage: 43.9 (147, 8)
Field-Goal Defense: 44.7 (246, 11)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.8 (43, 4)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 34.6 (149, 8)
Free-Throw Percentage: 76.9 (4, 1)
Rebound Margin: 3.6 (64, 2)
Assists Per Game: 14.6 (52, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.2 (138, 9)
Last Five Postseason Appearances:
Dayton 2011 NIT First Round loss to College of Charleston
Dayton 2010 NIT First Round win over Illinois State
Dayton 2010 NIT Second Round win over Cincinnati
Dayton 2010 NIT Quarterfinal win over Illinois
Dayton 2010 NIT Semifinal win over Mississippi
Dayton 2010 NIT Final win over North Carolina
Dayton 2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over West Virginia
Dayton 2009 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Kansas
Dayton 2008 NIT First Round win over Cleveland State
Dayton 2008 NIT Second Round win over Illinois State
Dayton 2008 NIT Quarterfinal loss to Ohio State
Dayton 2004 NCAA Round of 64 loss to DePaul
*all team stats through 3/4
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
