Dayton vs. Duquesne: 2019-20 college basketball game preview, TV schedule
Dayton and Duquesne square off on Wednesday night in Pittsburgh. Here is a preview of the important Atlantic 10 clash.
TV Schedule: Wednesday, January 29, 7:00 PM ET, CBS Sports Network
Arena: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
Two of the top teams in the Atlantic 10 will face off for the first time this season on Wednesday night when the No.7 Dayton Flyers travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Dukes of Duquesne. Anthony Grant’s Flyers (18-2, 9-0) have been a mainstay in the top 25 this season ever since finishing second to Kansas at the Maui Jim Maui Invitational, and have done nothing but climb the rankings since then.
Duquesne (15-4, 5-2) are right in the rearview mirror of Dayton and not only on pace for their best season under Keith Dambrot, but they also are on the brink of eclipsing the 20-win mark for just the second time since 1981 and have eyes on the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1977.
Dayton has only felt defeat twice this season, in that Maui final to Kansas in overtime and a two-point loss to No. 20 Colorado. The Flyers certainly live up to their name, averaging 83 points per game, which puts them 4th in the country in that category. In fact, Dayton has scored less than 75 points just once this season and has notched 80 or more thirteen times.
Obi Toppin is the likely lottery pick that everyone knows about by now and for good reason, the forward is averaging 19.7 points and eight rebounds which both lead the team while shooting 62% from the field, but the Dayton guards are the straw that stirs the drink. The quartet of Jalen Crutcher, Ibi Watson, Trey Landers, and Rodney Chatman have done yeoman’s work for a team is one of the best assist teams in the country, the four of them dish out 12.9 of the Flyers 18.9 assists.
Already with 15 wins under their belt entering this game, the Dukes look headed towards their highest win total in over four decades. While Duquesne’s schedule hasn’t exactly been the ’27 Yankees, aside from back-to-back losses to UAB and Marshall, the Dukes had turned everyone else away until being beaten by both Rhode Island and UMass before this matchup. They have done so thanks to defense, allowing just 62 points per game and with opponents shooting just 40.4% from the field which puts them in the top-36 nationally in each category.
Offensively, the frontcourt trio of leading scorer Marcus Weathers, and centers Michael Hughes and Baylee Steele have accounted for 33 points and 20 rebounds per game and sophomore guard Sincere Carry is a budding star who scores 11.5 points and dishes out a team-high 4.5 assists.
The key thing to watch in this game is what kind of shots Dayton is able to get against a stingy Duquesne defense. Not only is Dayton 4th in the country in points per game, their 52.5% field-goal percentage is tops in the sport. With their opponents scoring just 62 points per game and a three-point field goal percentage of just 29.4%, teams that play Duquesne have to do their business inside the arc, but in doing so are facing the team that is also 8th in the country in blocked shots per game (6.3). How hard the high-powered offense of Dayton has to work for their shots will be a key factor in this game.
Next. Top 25 mid-major power rankings. dark
In the end, I think it will be Dayton’s guard advantage, not Toppin that will help them come away with a close victory against a Duquesne team ready to prove they are ready to be one of the top teams in the Atlantic 10.