DAYTON VS. VCU: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT TODAY’S GAME
Who: Dayton (15-9, 7-4 Atlantic 10) vs. Virginia Commonwealth (18-6, 9-2) Where: Siegel Center in Richmond, Va. When: 7 p.m. TV/Radio: CBS Sports Network/95.7 and 1290 WHIO Series: VCU leads 16-8 and has won nine of the last 12 games in the series. VCU beat Dayton 53-52 at UD Arena on Jan. 5 last season, and Dayton then routed VCU 82-52 in Richmond, Va., on Feb. 5. Earlier this season on Jan. 13, VCU beat Dayton 63-62 at UD Arena. Coaches: Anthony Grant is 117-61 in his sixth season at Dayton. Mike Rhoades is 120-59 in six seasons at VCU. Last game: On Saturday, Dayton lost 68-59 at St. Bonaventure. VCU won 73-65 at Saint Louis on Friday. KenPom.com odds: Dayton has an 39% chance of winning. The website predicts a 66-63 score. Dayton ranks 72nd. VCU is No. 75. NET rankings: Dayton fell from No. 72 to No. 81 after beating Loyola. VCU is No. 79.
Probable Dayton starters Name, Ht., Class, Pos., Points per game DaRon Holmes II, 6-10, So., F, 17.8 Toumani Camara, 6-8, Jr., G, 13.4 Mustapha Amzil, 6-9, R-So., F, 9.9 Kobe Elvis, 6-2, R-So., G, 9.8 Malachi Smith, 6-0, So., G, 7.6 Probable VCU starters Name, Ht., Class, Pos., Points per game Adrian Baldwin, 6-1, Jr., G, 13.5
Brandon Johns, 6-8, Sr., F, 12.3 Jalen DeLoach, 6-9, So., F, 9.6 Jayden Nunn, 6-4, So., G, 8.8 Nick Kern Jr., 6-6, So., G, 3.9 About Dayton: A loss would drop Dayton to 7-5 in the A-10. That would be its worst league record through 12 games since 2021 when it fell to 7-5 with a 76-67 loss at home to VCU . ... R.J. Blakney has missed two of the last four games for an unspecified reason. Amzil has started both games in his place . ... Smith could miss this game after injuring his ankle in the second half Saturday. He missed the first three games of the season with an ankle injury and then 11 games from November to January because of another ankle injury. About VCU: VCU ranks second in the A-10 in attendance (7,207). Dayton ranks first (13,407). The Siegel Center seats 7,637. VCU has sold out two of 14 home games. It sold out 166 straight home games until the 2021-22 season opener . ... David Shriver, a 6-6 senior guard/forward, matched his season high with 18 points in the first game against Dayton. He made 6 of 8 3-pointers. Since that game, he has averaged 6.2 points in six games and made 8 of 23 3s (34.8%). ... Baldwin ranks second in the A-10 in assists per game (5.8) and second in steals (2.2). Looking ahead: Dayton plays Saint Louis (15-8, 7-3) at 8 p.m. Friday at UD Arena. DAVID JABLONSKI, STAFF WRITER