Dayton Men’s Basketball 2020 NCAA Tournament Capsule

March 6, 2020 · Joel Welser
 

Dayton Flyers

Atlantic 10 (29-2, 18-0)

 
Dayton has had an amazing 2019-2020 campaign. They cruised through the Atlantic 10 with an amazing 18-0 record. In non-conference play they fell just twice and both were in overtime. The first loss was in Maui against Kansas. The second came again on a neutral floor, this time against Colorado. None of those are bad losses and the Flyers have proven that they can beat anybody on any given day.
 
Big Wins: 12/8 vs St. Mary’s (78-68), 1/17 at St. Louis (78-76), 1/25 at Richmond (87-79)
Bad Losses: 11/27 vs Kansas (84-90), 12/21 vs Colorado (76-78)
Coach: Anthony Grant
 
Why They Can Surprise:
Few teams in the country are as efficient as Dayton. They rank fourth in the nation in assists per game and first in field-goal percentage. Jalen Crutcher is the reason why Dayton shares the ball so effectively. The junior point man dishes out 4.9 assist per game and scores 15.1 points. Fellow guards Trey Landers and Rodney Chatman are capable passers too. While the backcourt deserves a ton of credit, the explosive Dayton offense runs through forward Obi Toppin. The 6-9 sophomore averages 20.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.
 
Why They Can Disappoint:
By the numbers, Dayton is a pretty good rebounding team. However, that number is a little skewed since they miss so few shots. Toppin and frontcourt mate Ryan Mikesell must be tough on the glass if Dayton is going to make a deep tournament run. They will get some help from Landers, who is a superb rebounding guard, but some teams with a larger, tougher frontcourt could beat up the Flyers in the rebounding department. The other potential concern is in the turnover department. Considering how many points this team scores, it is not surprising that they turn the ball over more than most in the A-10, but they must keep it under control in the NCAA Tournament. Even when Dayton was shooting well from the floor in those losses to Kansas and Colorado, losing the rebounding and turnover battles proved to be the difference.
 
Probable Starters:
Jalen Crutcher, Junior, Guard, 15.1 ppg, 4.9 apg
Trey Landers, Senior, Guard, 10.5 ppg, 2.4 apg, 6.9 rpg
Rodney Chatman, Junior, Guard, 7.7 ppg, 3.2 apg
Obi Toppin, Sophomore, Forward, 20.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.2 bpg
Ryan Mikesell, Senior, Forward, 8.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg
 
Key Role Players:
Ibi Watson, Junior, Guard, 10.1 ppg, 1.3 apg
Jhery Matos, Junior, Guard, 1.8 ppg
Jordy Tshimanga, Junior, Center, 3.0 ppg, 2.4 rpg
Dwayne Cohill, Sophomore, Guard, 2.6 ppg
 
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 80.0 (14th in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 64.5 (45, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 52.5 (1, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.1 (74, 3)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.0 (92, 3)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 37.1 (28, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 72.0 (133, 4)
Rebound Margin: 3.4 (78, 2)
Assists Per Game: 17.6 (4, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.4 (102, 5)
 
Recent Postseason Appearances:
 
2019 NIT First Round loss to Colorado
2017 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Wichita State
2016 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Syracuse
2015 NCAA Opening Round win over Boise State
2015 NCAA Round of 64 win over Providence
2015 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Oklahoma
2014 NCAA Round of 64 win over Ohio State
2014 NCAA Round of 32 win over Syracuse
2014 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Stanford
2014 NCAA Regional Final loss to Florida
2012 NIT First Round loss to Iowa
2011 NIT First Round loss to College of Charleston
2010 NIT First Round win over Illinois State
2010 NIT Second Round win over Cincinnati
2010 NIT Quarterfinal win over Illinois
2010 NIT Semifinal win over Mississippi
2010 NIT Final win over North Carolina
2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over West Virginia
2009 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Kansas
2008 NIT First Round win over Cleveland State
2008 NIT Second Round win over Illinois State
2008 NIT Quarterfinal loss to Ohio State
2004 NCAA Round of 64 loss to DePaul
 
*all team stats through 3/8