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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 – FEBRUARY 22: Jalen Crutcher #10 of the Dayton Flyers  (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

Dayton has the best guard rotation in the nation

Obi Toppin obviously (and deservedly) gets most of the credit for how awesome Dayton basketball has been this season but head coach Anthony Grant’s guards are perhaps the best group in the nation. Starters Jalen Crutcher, Rodney Chatman, and Trey Landers, and Ibi Watson off the bench, are all excellent college basketball players who make the Flyers offense operate at peak efficiency, allowing Toppin to focus on dominating on offense.

Against Davidson on Friday night, Crutcher had 10 points and 7 assists, Landers had 11 points and 7 rebounds, while Chatman chipped in 14 points, 2 assists and 2 steals on 5-for-6 shooting from the field. Ibi Watson came off the bench to get 13 points on 60% shooting. Any of the players out of that guard group are capable of going off from the 3-point line (namely Crutcher and Watson) and their aggressiveness from the 3-point line provides a ton of space to isolate on helpless defenders.

Landers was specifically aggressive in getting to the free throw line (7 attempts) but his ghastly 42.8% shooting from the charity stripe is something that obviously wouldn’t fly against stiffer competition. Landers is only shooting below 60% from the free throw line on the season but the fact that he isn’t shying away from absorbing contact and getting to the line is encouraging.

Of the Dayton guards, everyone but Watson had at least 2 assists. There are teams that will be able to outrebound the Flyers and possibly give them some trouble in the paint but their quartet of guards with the ability to dribble, pass, and shoot will make them a matchup nightmare for most teams.

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It was fitting that Dayton basketball clinched the A10 title on a night where Crutcher was focused more on setting up his teammates than his own scoring, as his play this season has been a microcosm of the Flyers season as a unit. Dayton’s unselfishness gives them a legit shot to win the National Championship and their guards are the driving force behind it.