• This is the last chance for the Flyers to record a top-50 road victory. Dayton ranks 31st in the RPI. Rhode Island is 35th. Most experts see Dayton on the right side of the NCAA tournament bubble at the moment — but not a lock. The same goes for the Rams.
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• The luck of Virginia Commonwealth (19-5, 9-2) has kept it in a tie atop the Atlantic 10 with Dayton. VCU has won two games in a row despite allowing a go-ahead 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds to play against St. Bonaventure and George Washington. UD needs to keep winning to keep pace with VCU and set up a first-place showdown March 1 at UD Arena.
• Last but not least, Dayton’s senior class — Smith, Davis, Cooke, Kendall Pollard, Joey Gruden and Jeremiah Bonsu — has won 96 games. A victory at Rhode Island ties it with the 2011 class for most victories in school history.
“Anytime you’re putting a recruiting class together and they come in as freshmen and leave as seniors and they’re the all-time winningest class, I would say from front to back that both ends of the deal got done,” Dayton coach Archie Miller said. “For them, I’ll be very pleased. I don’t think they want to tie it. I think they want to take it as far as they can possibly take it. I would love for them to set the record. I think it would be a great story for them.”
Credit: David Jablonski - Staff Writer
Credit: David Jablonski - Staff Writer
Here are five things to know about Dayton’s 24th game:
1. On a roll: Rhode Island has won four straight games. Dayton has won three in a row.
"I think we've finally kind of found a rhythm playing the same group of guys for a series of games here," Rhode Island coach Dan Hurley told the Providence Journal after a 70-62 victory at Massachusetts on Tuesday. "I think guys understand their roles now and are just trying to figure out ways to help us win."
2. Revenge factor:Dayton won the first matchup 67-64 at UD Arena on Jan. 6. The Flyers overcame an early 10-point deficit. Jarvis Garrett missed what would have been a game-tying shot with 6 seconds to play.
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Miller called it a statement game at that time. Now his team has to make another.
“It’s going to be a charged-up environment against a charged-up team who we already got once,” Miller said. “They’ll be ready. We’ve got to do our part and show up and be ready. We’re going to have to rebound the ball better than we did against VCU if we’re going to have a chance.”
3. Lineup questions:Dayton sophomore forward Josh Cunningham could play for the first time since Nov. 15 when he tore a ligament in his ankle after dunking against Alabama. Rhode Island guard Jarvis Garrett has missed seven straight games with an unspecified illness. According to the Providence Journal, he resumed light workouts this week.
4. New face: With Garrett sidelined, freshman guard Jeff Downtin has stepped up for Rhode Island. He scored five points in the first game against Dayton. He has scored in double figures four times in the last eight games and had 19 points in a win at Davidson on Feb. 3.
“I think he’s a special guy with composure and poise and maturity beyond his years,” Hurley said. “He’s kind of saved us. Most teams that lose their starting point guard, especially a player of Jarvis’ caliber, don’t recover from it.”
5. Hot streak: Dayton's lone junior, guard Darrell Davis, has made three 3-pointers three games in a row and four times in the last six games. His percentage has climbed to 36.1 (30 of 83). He shot 29.1 percent last season.
Davis moved into the starting lineup Dec. 23. He has stayed in the lineup ever since, with the exception of one game he missed with a sore hamstring. He made the big shot a year ago at Rhode Island, a 3-pointer with 20 seconds to play. It turned out to be the game-winner in a 68-66 victory.
Miller called Davis an X-factor before the season, and his emergence is a good sign for UD.
“It’s big,” Miller said. “He’s another guy that stretches in the floor. Darrell’s really engaged right now, defensively more than anything. He’s doing a good job as we’ve had defensively. The offense and him making shots is a byproduct of how his mind is working before, during and after games.
FRIDAY’S GAME
Dayton at Rhode Island, 7 p.m., ESPN2, FM 95.7, AM 1290 WHIO
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