Dayton could climb in poll after day of upsets
Loss by San Diego State also raises hope Dayton could be a No. 1 seed.
Losses by No. 1 Baylor, No. 2 Gonzaga and No. 4 San Diego State on Saturday opened the door for a streaking Flyers squad.
DAYTON — Dayton Flyers senior Trey Landers paused when he was asked Saturday if he’s ever played for a better team.
Maybe no one else on the 201920 roster would have had to think about it. However, Landers won a state championship at Wayne High School as a junior in 2015. That’s why he gave it a second thought before admitting this is the best team he’s ever been a part of — and the numbers tell only part of the story.
“We love each other,” Landers said. “It’s not even about us on the court. Obviously, we do what we do on the court, but off the court, this is the best team I’ve been around. That helps us more when we get on the floor together. We know to our strengths and know what everyone does.”
No. 5 Dayton (25-2, 14-0) extended its winning streak to 16 games with an 80-70 victory against Duquesne on Saturday at UD Arena. In the hours following the game, the Flyers got three more pieces of good news.
1. No. 4 San Diego State lost
66-63 at home to UNLV (1514). The Aztecs’ perfect season ended after 26 victories.
2. No. 2 Gonzaga (27-2) lost 91-78 at No. 23 BYU. Gonzaga had won 19 games in a row.
The losses by San Diego State and Gonzaga — not to mention No. 1 Baylor (242), which was the third topfive team to lose, falling to No. 3 Kansas (24-3) earlier in the day — mean Dayton could climb even higher in the Associated Press poll on Monday.
It’s also important because it could open the door to Dayton getting a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. If Dayton wins its last four regular-season games and wins the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament and gets some help in more losses from the top teams, it could become the Atlantic 10 Conference’s
first No. 1 seed since Saint Joseph’s in 2004. A 32-2 record would look impressive even if it lacked signature victories against top25 teams.
3. Rhode Island (19-7, 11-3) lost 77-75 in overtime at Davidson. That means Dayton has a three-game lead over Rhode Island with four games to play.
Dayton can clinch a share of the A-10 championship by beating George Mason (15-12, 4-10) at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Fairfax, Va. Assuming Rhode Island wins at Fordham (7-19, 1-13) on Wednesday, Day- ton could then clinch the title outright for the second time in its history by beating Davidson (14-12, 8-6) on Friday at UD Arena.
Even if Dayton has clinched the outright championship by the time it travels to Rhode Island for a game March 4, it will still be playing to become the first 18-0 team in A-10 history, while also trying to improve its seed in the NCAA tournament.
With four games remaining, Dayton also is trying to set the school record for victories. It can do that by winning all four. Of course, Landers wants to the season to last well beyond the regular season.
“I would go to war with all (the Flyers),” he said. “I mean that from the bottom of my heart. I don’t want it to end. I know it will come to an end, but that’s why I try to cherish every game I have with these guys.”
Contact this reporter at 937-244-7400 or email David.Jablonski@cmg.com.