NCAA Basketball: Wisconsin, Duke, Creighton rise in latest top 25 power rankings
By Joey Loose
16. Dayton (16-3)
Dayton entered the week as one of the hottest teams in the nation and certainly the team sitting in the driver’s seat in the A-10. There were a few expected losses against tough foes earlier in the season (like Houston), but the Flyers have been playing efficient and winning basketball in recent weeks. Would that continue forever in this tough mid-major league?
The success continued early in the week, as the Flyers won 66-54 at La Salle back on Tuesday. As per usual, Daron Holmes II was the star with 22 points and 8 rebounds while Nate Santos added 13 points and 6 rebounds. The long winning streak came to an unfortunate end on Saturday night, as the Flyers fell 69-64 on the road against a very strong Richmond squad. Holmes was severely limited in a game where Javon Bennett led the way with 18 points.
This Flyers team was no fluke and this loss against the Spiders isn’t some sort of misstep. Richmond is a strong basketball program and proof that Dayton wasn’t just going to run away in this league. Expect Holmes and this Flyers squad to bounce back in the weeks ahead, trying to prove that they belong among the top mid-majors in the nation. It will be home dates with George Washington and St. Bonaventure that dot next week’s schedule.