Morocco made history by becoming the first African country to reach the semifinals before losing Wednesday to the defending champion, France. Amzil’s father, Brahim Amzil, is from Morocco, which Mustapha has visited multiple times. He said his dad watched the World Cup games with other Moroccans at a cafe in Finland, where Amzil was born and grew up.
“It means a lot for my people back home and my dad and me,” Amzil said.
Amzil, a 6-foot-9 forward, played soccer when he was young. He was a left midfielder. He switched to basketball, and it seems he made the right decision. He has been the team’s most improved player and moved into the starting lineup when starting guards Kobe Elvis and Malachi Smith suffered injuries in the final minutes of a loss to Brigham Young on Nov. 25.
Amzil will start his fifth straight game when Dayton (6-5) plays Wyoming (5-5) at 8 p.m. Saturday in the Legends of Basketball Showcase at the United Center in Chicago.
“It’s important,” Amzil said. “We haven’t won an away game this season, so it’s a win we’ve got to take.”
It will be the second-to-last non-conference game of the season for the Flyers, who have to beat Wyoming this weekend and Alcorn State on Tuesday to avoid their first non-winning record in non-conference play since they were 6-6 in the 2017-18 season.
What do the stats tell us about the Flyers after 11 games? The website CBBAnalytics.com provides some answers.
What defines Dayton
Playing slow: Dayton ranks in the bottom 10th percentile in pace, averaging 64.2 possessions per game.
Defense has carried Dayton: Dayton allows 94 points per 100 possessions, putting it in the 82nd percentile. It has scored 100.2 points per 100 possessions, which ranks in the 22nd percentile.
Low-scoring games: Dayton ranks in the 11th percentile in offensive scoring (65 points per game) and in the 91st percentile in defensive scoring (61.0).
What Dayton does well
Getting to the line: Dayton ranks in the 82nd percentile in free-attempts per game (20.6). Once it gets to the line, Dayton has not fared as well. It’s shooting 68.3%, which ranks in the 32nd percentile.
Getting shots at the rim: Dayton takes 40% of its shots within four feet of the rim. It ranks in the 96th percentile in that category. It is not particularly successful at making those shots, converting 61.9% of those opportunities, which ranks in the 36th percentile.
The percentage of shots Dayton has taken within four feet of the rim in the last five games has climbed to 47.5%, which leads the country in that span.
Assisted shooting: Dayton ranks in the 94th percentile in the percentage of 2-point shots that were assisted (50.5) and in the 86th percentile in the percentage of 3-point shots that were assisted (86.0).
Rim protection: DaRon Holmes II ranks in the 98th percentile in blocked shots per game (2.1), and that’s a big reason Dayton ranks in the 84th percentile as a team with 4.5 blocks per game.
Avoiding fouls: Dayton averages 14.1 personal fouls per game, which ranks in the 92nd percentile.
What Dayton does not do well
Taking care of the ball: Dayton commits turnovers on 18.9% of its possessions, ranking in the 10th percentile. Averaging 2.7 turnovers per game, Holmes ranks in the third percentile.
Shooting the 3-pointer: Dayton ranks in the fourth percentile with 28% shooting from long range. It has been better in the last five games when it ranks in the 29th percentile with 32.1% shooting. Dayton is tied for last place in the Atlantic 10 Conference in 3-point shooting percentage with Rhode Island, which is also shooting 28%.
Putback field-goal percentage: This stat is defined as “field-goal percentage on field-goal attempts within six seconds of an offensive rebound taken by the same player who grabbed the offensive rebound.” Dayton ranks in the 19th percentile, making 50% of those shots.
Bench scoring: Dayton’s reserves average 12.1 points per game, putting it in the third percentile in this category.
Forcing turnovers: Dayton’s opponents average 11.2 turnovers per game, which ranks in the 10th percentile.
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