Dayton Basketball: 2019-20 keys to beating Duquesne at home

4 of 4

DAYTON, OH – NOVEMBER 30: Quinndary Weatherspoon #11 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs handles the ball against Trey Landers #3 of the Dayton Flyers (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

3. Dayton should tire out Duquesne on the defensive end

The final key to a Dayton victory in this one will be forcing Duquesne to play defense for as long as possible on each possession. Dayton is one of the best offensive teams in the country, netting 80 points per game, but Duquesne is also a strong defensive team, giving up just 64 per contest.

The importance of making Duquesne play defense for long stretches serves two purposes, it limits the Dukes’ possessions but it will also force them to exert energy on defense, tiring them out on offense, making it more difficult for them to keep up with Dayton and their offensive firepower.

Next. A-10 power rankings. dark

Another benefit to Dayton taking long possessions is that in limiting Duquesne’s possessions is that the Dukes aren’t a team that likes to get up and down the floor. According to KenPom.com Duquesne ranks 92nd in possessions per 40 minutes, and while Dayton doesn’t rank all that higher in the category (53rd), a high-scoring offense like theirs putting pressure on Duquesne by limiting their possessions and staying efficient as they have been all year will make it that much more likely that Dayton comes away with a win and stays knocking on the door of the No. 1 seed line in any projected brackets.