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Atlantic 10 Basketball: 2020-21 power rankings heading into conference play

By Benjamin Zacher

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 15: The Atlantic 10 logo on the court before the game between the George Washington Colonials and the Richmond Spiders at the Charles E. Smith Athletic Center on January 15, 2015 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 15: The Atlantic 10 logo on the court before the game between the George Washington Colonials and the Richmond Spiders at the Charles E. Smith Athletic Center on January 15, 2015 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /
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Dayton Flyers Jalen Crutcher Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Dayton Flyers Jalen Crutcher Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /

7. Dayton Flyers

  • 2020-21 record: 5-2 overall, 1-1 A-10
  • Previous ranking: 7th

No team has given their fanbase more amounts of stress this season than Dayton.  All nine of Dayton’s games have been decided by single-digits, and seven of those games were decided by three points or less.  Their most recent outing against George Mason was their most convincing win yet, with the Flyers coming out on top by nine, 74-65.

They are not last year’s Flyers by any means, but Anthony Grant’s crew still own solid wins, including a double-overtime win over Mississippi State and a three-point victory over Ole Miss.  And, although they own a decent win over George Mason, the Flyers had their 20-game A-10 win streak snapped in their conference opener against La Salle.

Dayton’s primary issue during the opening weeks of the season was their bench – and that continues to be their biggest problem.  Their leading scorer off the bench, R.J. Blakney – who has been out the past two games due to injury – averages just 2.2 points per game.  Meanwhile, four of Dayton’s starters average double-figures, headlined by Jalen Crutcher (18.7 ppg) and freshman Mustapha Amzil (18.5), who made his season debut against La Salle after starter Chase Johnson opted to leave the program.

Statistically, there is not too much wrong with the Flyers,, particularly offensively.  They rank 27th in 3P% (39.0%), 22nd in 2P% (57.3%), and 13th in effective FG% (57.7%).  They are a bit more average – but still solid – defensively, holding teams to 33.3% (173rd) beyond the arc and 47.3% (93rd) inside.  The most significant problems for Dayton are their offensive turnover percentage – where they turn the ball over on 24.4% of their possessions, 313th in Div. I – and their offensive rebound percentage on the offensive (24.9%, 234th) and defensive (33.3%, 290th) ends.

The Flyers should be able to pick up an easy win on the road on Tuesday at Fordham, but will have their toughest A-10 battles afterwards, traveling to Davidson before hosting Duquesne.

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