Schedule Overview
The Flyers’ schedule contains a solid mix of good mid-majors and middle-tier Power-5 schools. Dayton’s goal when creating their schedule should be to play some games against power-5 teams and in a good holiday tournament to get the school on TV and to pad the RPI. Dayton appears to have done that.
Dayton has games at home against Akron and Auburn. They go on the road to Starkville, MS to take on Mississippi State. They are also slated to play three games in the Gildan Charleston Classic during the week before Thanksgiving. Dayton plays one tough game on the road at St. Mary’s just before conference play starts as well.
The games against Akron and Auburn could be tricky for Dayton as Akron is a capable team and a perennial MAC power. Auburn has power-5 talent and plays in the SEC, but they are still a year or two away from being a contender for an NCAA Tournament bid. The two road games really stand out on this schedule. Dayton must go to two of the most hostile environments in college basketball.
Starkville (Mississippi State), or StarkVegas as it is commonly known, is an experience for any college team to endure. The city and fans of Starkville make this game very difficult. Starkville should be a necessary destination for every college sports fan.
The game against St. Mary’s will be a battle, not just for Dayton but for anyone. St. Mary’s is one of the best mid-major teams in the country and the Gaels don’t usually lose in Moraga, and if they do, they won’t go down without a fight. Dayton will hope to catch the Gaels on an off night if they hope to win this game.
The conference portion of the schedule features a home and home with VCU, St. Louis, Rhode Island, and Duquesne. The double games against two of the conferences premier teams and two of the conferences lower tier teams will help the Flyers. While wins on the road at VCU and Rhode Island are hard to come by, the Flyers should win the home portion of those contests. St. Louis and Duquesne are teams that Dayton should sweep.
Projected Finish
After the roster turnover the Flyers experienced along with a new coach, Dayton still has the talent to finish in the top-tier of the Atlantic 10. If they can do that, they will see themselves in the NCAA tournament conversation again. Dayton has shown they are not a team anyone wants to play come tournament time. Dayton’s style of play poses problems for a lot of major conference teams as they like to spread the floor and shoot a lot of threes. Teams that run that style of offense efficiently pose a problem to most teams in the country.
Next: Star players in the A-10 for the 2017-18 season
The Anthony Grant era is officially upon the Dayton Flyers. Dayton has many question marks and experienced a lot of natural roster turnover. While the Flyers will have their struggles this season, it is reasonable to think they should not completely drop off the map. The Flyers will be safe with Anthony Grant as their head coach.