NCAA Basketball: Gonzaga, Houston lead in updated way-too-early top 25 ranking
By Joey Loose
20. Dayton
When thinking about Dayton in recent memory, everyone’s mind shoots to that 2020 team led by Obi Toppin, a team that could have made some incredible moments had the NCAA Tournament not been cancelled. The Flyers have been solid since that season, but with their entire starting lineup returning in 2023, this team could be pretty fantastic.
Last year’s youngest team in the nation gets all those starters back, highlighted by talented forward DaRon Holmes II, who averaged 12.8 points a game as a freshman. Fellow young forward Toumani Camara (10.9 ppg, 6.9 rpg) will look to have a breakout year. A slew of other sophomores will hope to take that big step forward in their second year of college basketball, with Malachi Smith looking like a great distributor and Koby Brea hoping to have an even bigger impact as an outside shooter.
Dayton had the rare offseason, especially in today’s world of college basketball, where they didn’t lose any major contributors and didn’t really add to the roster. Much of the young talent from last year’s squad (that finished 14-4 in the A-10) is expected to take that step forward, and this Dayton squad looks like one of the heavy favorites in a talented A-10. This might not be at the same level as that 2020 squad, but don’t be shocked if these Flyers are one of the nation’s best mid-major teams.