NCAA Basketball Power Rankings: Illinois rises, Dayton keeps impressing

Dayton remains steady at my No. 5 spot this week but this team just keeps impressing with every single week. The Flyers have been absolutely awesome throughout this season and their 18-2 (7-0 A10) record backs that up. They are currently in the midst of a nine-game winning streak and they are taking care of business in dominant fashion most of the time.

During this past week alone, Dayton defeated St. Bonaventure by 26 at home and then went on the road to take down a potential NCAA Tournament team in Richmond by eight.

Obi Toppin is rightfully the player to watch for this team in every single game. The athletic 6-foot-9 sophomore has been incredible since the opening tip of the campaign while emerging as a legitimate contender to win the National Player of the Year.

With that said, though, his impressive play has overshadowed the fact that Jalen Crutcher has taken a leap into stardom as well. Crutcher is not just “Toppin’s Sidekick” but a star in his own right that everyone in the nation needs to take note of. To put it simply, Toppin is the household name but Crutcher is the foundation.

The 6-foot-1 sophomore guard is averaging 14.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game as one of the most deadly perimeter shooters in the country. He leads the team in minutes played and is about as consistent as they come. “Clutcher” has scored 20+ points in Dayton’s last four games and is averaging 17.1 over the last 10.

Dayton is way more than just a one-man team. The Flyers are elite offensively because they work as a unit around a pair of star players that understand how to get their own but also create for others. Dayton holds the second-best adjusted offensive efficiency rating in the country and is the clear-cut favorite to win the Atlantic 10.

Heck, Dayton might even go undefeated in conference play.