DAYTON VS. SAINT LOUIS: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT TODAY’S GAME
Who: Dayton (16-9, 8-4) vs. Saint Louis (16-8, 8-3).
Where: UD Arena.
When: 8 p.m.
TV/Radio: ESPN2/95.7 and 1290 WHIO. Series: Dayton leads 39-29. The Flyers had won five straight against the Billikens before losing 72-62 at Saint Louis on Feb. 5 last season. Dayton won 68-63 on Jan. 11 at UD Arena in the first matchup last season. Since losing seven times in a ninegame stretch starting in 2009, Dayton has 14 victories in 18 games against the Billikens.
Coaches: Anthony Grant is 118-61 in his sixth season at Dayton. Travis Ford is 12885 in seven seasons at Saint Louis.
Last game: On Tuesday, Dayton won 6258 at VCU, and Saint Louis beat Rhode Island 76-71 in St. Louis.
KenPom.com odds: Dayton has a 70% chance of winning. The website predicts a 72-67 score. Dayton ranks 71st. Saint Louis is 96th.
NET rankings: Dayton remained at No. 81 after beating VCU. Saint Louis is No. 98.
Name, Ht., Class, Pos., Points per game DaRon Holmes II, 6-10, So., F, 17.6 Toumani Camara, 6-8, Jr., G, 13.9 Mustapha Amzil, 6-9, R-So., F, 9.8 Kobe Elvis, 6-2, R-So., G, 9.3
Mike Sharavjamts, 6-8, Fr., G/F, 5.9
Gibson Jimerson, 6-5, R-So., G, 13.2 Yuri Collins, 6-0, Jr., G, 11.7
Javonte Perkins, 6-6, Gr., G, 10.7 Francis Okoro, 6-9, Sr., F, 7.4
Terrence Hargrove, 6-4, Jr., G, 6.1 About Dayton: R.J. Blakney returned to the starting lineup Tuesday after missing the St. Bonaventure game but suffered an injury in the first half and limped off the court. He returned but was still limping and left the game after a brief stint. Malachi Smith also missed the game with an ankle injury. Grant said after the game both players would continue to be evaluated . ... Holmes leads the nation with 69 dunks. Purdue’s Zach Edey ranks second with 61 . ... Mongolian contortionists will perform at halftime of the game in honor of Sharavjamts.
... Dayton started players from five countries Tuesday for the first time this season: Holmes (United States); Camara (Belgium); Amzil (Finland); Elvis (Canada); and Sharavjamts (Mongolia). About Saint Louis: Javon Pickett, a fifthyear senior who spent the last four years at Missouri, has started 14 games and averages 9.7 points . ... Collins became the A-10’s all-time assists leader on Tuesday. He has 786 in four seasons. Richmond’s Jacob Gilyard set the record last year with 782 assists in five seasons . ... This is Perkins’ sixth season in college basketball. He played two seasons at Southwestern Illinois College. He made the A-10 second team when he averaged 17.1 points in the 2020-21 season. He missed all of last season with an ACL tear . ... The Billikens have shot 40% or better from 3-point range in six of their last seven games. They are 9-1 when they hit that mark with the only loss coming at home to VCU last week.
Looking ahead: Dayton plays Loyola Chicago (8-15, 2-9) at 7 p.m. Feb. 17 at Gentile Arena in Chicago.
—DAVID JABLONSKI, STAFF WRITER