Dayton has that look about them. It’s the look of a team you want no part of having to play against in March.
In the Atlantic 10 conference this season, the Flyers are looking to make history. They’re currently sitting atop the conference standings with a 13-0 record. They have won their last 15 games. Dayton, 24-2 overall this season, is ranked fifth in the AP Top 25. It’s the first time in 64 years they’ve been ranked in the top five.
The Flyers have five games remaining on their regular season schedule. If they run the table, they’ll finish with an 18-0 conference record. In the six seasons the Atlantic 10 has played an 18-game schedule, no team has ever gone undefeated.
They have a head coach who’s well-respected by his peers. A star player everyone expects to hear his name called early on NBA draft night. And a one game at a time mentality which is necessary for this time of year.
But this Dayton team, despite knowing very well what’s on the line, remains as cool as the other side of the pillow. Calm, cool, and collected – that’s what the Dayton Flyers are.
And that’s what makes them so dangerous.
“We definitely think we can do it,” Dayton guard Dwayne Cohill said about his team’s chances of an undefeated conference season. “But right now, we’re just taking it one game at a time.”
This is approach is the clearest indication, outside of the impressive win-loss record, that the players have fully bought in for head coach, Anthony Grant.
Dayton is ready for March
Dayton’s most recent game was a 66-61 road win over VCU. It was the first time in five years the Flyers won on VCU’s home court.
It was a huge win over a Quadrant 1 team which likely removed any hopes of an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament for them. With the way the A-10 standings are shaping up, VCU will need to win the conference tournament in order to dance in March.
And with tournament talk beginning to pick up now, Dayton is also playing their way into a two seed on Selection Sunday. It would be the highest NCAA tournament seed in school history and the highest seed for an Atlantic 10 team since Saint Joseph’s in 2004.
This is a team that’s well-coached, plays with poise, and has a very talented roster. Redshirt sophomore, Obi Toppin is a name casual basketball fans should keep an eye on the rest of the way. Toppin, a 6-foot-9 forward from Brooklyn, is making a strong push for National Player of the Year, along with a handful of other prestigious awards.
Toppin, along with junior guard Jalen Crutcher, gives Grant a dynamic 1-2 punch that leads the attack for Dayton.
Looking ahead, the Flyers still have a battle with second place Rhode Island on the books. Of the five upcoming games, this one will be the tallest hurdle for Dayton to clear in order to make history.
It’s already been an outstanding season for Dayton, but there’s more work to do. One thing is for certain, they’re leaving the looking ahead stuff to us.
