Busting Brackets
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Dayton Basketball: Takeaways from offensively dominant win over Davidson

By Michael Walton

DAYTON, OH - FEBRUARY 28: Obi Toppin #1 of the Dayton Flyers dunks the ball during the second half against the Davidson Wildcats at UD Arena on February 28, 2020 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
DAYTON, OH - FEBRUARY 28: Obi Toppin #1 of the Dayton Flyers dunks the ball during the second half against the Davidson Wildcats at UD Arena on February 28, 2020 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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DAYTON, OHIO – DECEMBER 30: Trey Landers #3 of the Dayton Flyers (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

Free throw woes

It wasn’t an issue against an overmatched (though tough and talented) Davidson team but Anthony Grant’s squad absolutely has to shoot free throws better than they did on Friday night. Dayton basketball shot an abysmal 53.8% from the free throw line with Trey Landers (59.8% from FT line on the season) being the main culprit. We previously mentioned how it is nice to see Landers stay aggressive on offense despite his poor efficiency from the charity stripe but that will need to improve as the Flyers get closer to the single-elimination portion of their season.

Landers has shown the ability to be a more competent free throw shooter earlier in his career, hitting a career-best 72.5% of his free throws in his sophomore year and 69.4% last season. Because of his struggles from the line, Landers could become a weak point for the Flyers in late-game situations but thankfully Grant has enough options to keep him off the floor if need be.

The Flyers are third in the A10 with a 73.7% free throw percentage and while Friday’s poor shooting the charity stripe likely represents an anomaly, it is noteworthy on a night where the Flyers shot a scorching hot 72.3% from the field, a figure that is obviously unsustainable for an offense even as dominant as theirs currently is.

As the defenses they face get tougher and tougher, the Flyers will need to focus on “the little things” if they truly want to rise out of the A10 and do what was once unthinkable: win a National title.