University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, OH
Tuesday, February 11, 2020
7:30PM
Media
TV: CBSSN
Online: CBSSN
Radio: 101.5 FM (B101)
Tune In Radio
Previews:
Dayton’s Fan Forum
Another Dayton’s Fan Forum
Blackburn Review
Ohhhh Shit! It is the game that everyone has been waiting for. The top 2 teams in the A10 battle head to head as URI travels to Dayton to take on the Flyers. As of this writing, Dayton is the number 6 team in the country, 21-2 overall and a perfect 10-0 in conference play. Dayton’s only two losses are neutral court OT losses to #4 Kansas & a soon to be ranked Colorado team. Dayton has rolled the competition this year apart from St Louis, who has kept it close in both match-ups. UD Arena is a very tough place to play & their 13,400+ are going to get “Lowd”. Rhody has won 3 of the last 4 in Dayton, so they shouldn’t be too intimidated playing there. The Flyers are led by sophomore stud & player of the year candidate Obi Toppin. Hmmm..Toppin, Toppin, Toppin…Why does that name ring a bell. Oh yeah, unless you have been living under a rock, you know that Obi is URI’s own Jacob Toppin’s older brother. Fatts would be run away A10 player of the year if it wasn’t for Obi. The Flyer’s Toppin is a match-up nightmare, as he is 6’ 9” (taller than anyone on Rhody) and handles the ball like a guard & can bury the 3. Dayton has been shooting lights out all year, 52.4% as a team & they have 2 players (Toppin & Landers) both shooting over 60%. In addition, the Flyers has 3 guys shooting over 40% from deep this season. Along with Obi the Flyers have another 1st conference A10 player in Jalen Crutcher. Flyer fans will tell you Crutcher is better than Fatts, but a lot of that has to do with Crutcher being on the same court of Obi. Teams are focusing on Obi that Crutcher gets a little bit more free space to operate. The Rams, like the Flyers, play a tight rotation of 8 guys so if this game is called tight by the refs it could be interesting. With that being said URI should come into this game around 5-point underdogs and I think Rhody sneaks out the victory 75-73. Go Rhody!! LFG!!!!!!!!!!
Opponent
Record:
21-2, 10-0 in the A10
Last season: 21-12, 13-5 in the A10
Rankings:
RPI: 5
KenPom: 6
NCAA NET: 5
BPI: 8
Leaders :
Points – Obi Toppin 19.6 (Soph., F)
Rebounds – Obi Toppin, 7.8 (Soph., F)
Assists – Jalen Crutcher, 5.2 (Jr., G) (2.0 TO per game)
Historical
Series: 17-19
H: 9-6, A: 7-9, N: 1-4
Most Recent Matchup: 3/1/19 72-70(OT) W at Dayton
Most Recent Win Streak: 1 – URI
Match-up Predictor: 13.7% Chance of URI Winning