Dayton basketball: Best and worst of Flyers’ A-10 tournament appearances

The reversals of fortune for Davidson and Richmond, two of the six lowest-seeded teams to play in the first round, shows how fast things can change for college basketball programs.

Davidson has finished below .500 in A-10 play three straight years since winning the regular-season championship in 2022. Richmond beat Davidson in the 2022 championship game and split the regular-season title in 2024 only to slip to 14th place this season.

On the other hand, both of those disappointing teams could have — and maybe should have — beaten the Dayton Flyers at UD Arena this season. Davidson lost 69-63 at Dayton on Feb. 4 in part because of a technical foul in the final minute. Richmond lost 74-64 in double overtime on March 1 thanks in part to a game-tying layup at the buzzer by Dayton forward Nate Santos in the first overtime.

Those are just two examples of why the 2025 tournament will be wide open.

“I think the thing we’ve seen all year is anyone can can win on any given night,” Dayton coach Anthony Grant said Tuesday. “That’s really the the nature of March. That’s what makes this time of year so exciting for the fans. You never know what could happen. For us, we’ve just got to make sure we take care of ourselves and understand what we’ve got to bring. From an offensive standpoint, it’s making sure we take care of the ball and we’re efficient. Then defensively, we got to bring great energy, great effort, great focus and be able to defend and rebound at a high level.”

No. 3 seed Dayton (22-9) will play No. 6 Saint Joseph’s (20-11) or No. 14 La Salle (14-18) at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the quarterfinals. La Salle beat No. 11 Massachusetts 78-71 in the first round Wednesday. La Salle played Saint Joseph’s in the second round at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.

Dayton will make its 29th A-10 tournament appearance this week. It seeks its second championship and first since 2003. Here’s a look back at Dayton’s history in the event.

Best victory: Dayton beat Temple 79-72 on March 15, 2003, at UD Arena to win the championship in its eighth season in the league.

Most disappointing defeat: Dayton was the No. 1 seed for the second straight season in 2017 and lost its first game 73-67 to No. 9 seed Davidson in the quarterfinals at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.

Davidson star Jack Gibbs made two 3-pointers in the final minute to lift the Wildcats. On the bright side, Dayton had already wrapped up a NCAA tournament at-large bid for the fourth straight season before the A-10 tournament.

Most lopsided victory: Dayton beat St. Bonaventure 78-48 in the first round in 2005 at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati. It’s one of six games in A-10 tournament history decided by 30 or more points.

Most lopsided loss: No. 8 seed Dayton lost 72-51 to No. 1 seed Xavier in the quarterfinals in 2007 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. Xavier beat Dayton three times that season.

Dayton played without two injured players, Marcus Johnson and Monty Scott, and lost despite 22 points from Brian Roberts.

Best overtime games: Dayton has played two overtime games in the A-10 tournament and won them both.

• In the first round in 1999 at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, Dayton beat St. Bonaventure 70-69 in overtime. Cain Doliboa’s game-tying 3-pointer with 2 minutes, 11 seconds remaining overtime turned the momentum.

• In 2008, Dayton beat Saint Louis 63-62 in overtime in the first round at Boardwalk Hall. London Warren forced a a Saint Louis turnover in the final minute of overtime to help preserve Dayton’s one-point lead.

Biggest missed opportunity: Dayton had an 11-point lead against VCU one minute into the second half in the 2023 championship game at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

The Flyers squandered that lead in the next five minutes and then went cold, losing 68-56. Dayton missed its last 15 shots and didn’t make a field goal in the last 10 minutes. VCU outscored Dayton 19-6 in the last 10 minutes and ended the game on an 8-0 run.

Biggest upset: Dayton was a No. 9 seed in 2011 when it beat No. 1 seed Xavier 68-67 in the quarterfinals at Boardwalk Hall. Luke Fabrizius, who had attempted three free throws all season, made two free throws with 5.8 seconds remaining to give Dayton the lead.

Dayton avenged two regular-season losses to Xavier. This was Dayton’s only victory in the A-10 tournament against Xavier in eight matchups.

Best individual performances: DaRon Holmes II had 28 points, 16 rebounds and five blocked shots in the 2023 loss to VCU.

Holmes also scored 28 points on 12-of-15 shooting in a 75-72 quarterfinal victory against Massachusetts in 2022. Toumani Camara matched that points total on 12-of-13 shooting in a 78-68 victory against Fordham in the semifinals in 2023.

Best performance by an opponent: Jameer Nelson, of St. Joseph’s, scored 39 points in a 76-73 loss to Dayton in the semifinals in 2003. That’s the third-highest points total in A-10 tournament history behind Rhode Island’s Tom Garrick (50 in 1988) and Duquesne’s Mark Stevenson (44 in 1990).

Most 3-pointers: Brooks Hall made 7 of 10 3-pointers in a 85-59 first-round victory against Rhode Island at the First Union Spectrum in Philadelphia in 2001. Hall, then a sophomore, scored what was then a career-high 24 points.

Hall is one of 12 players in A-10 tournament history to make at least seven 3s in a game. Matt Mobley, of St. Bonaventure, set the tournament record with nine in 2018.

Most blocks: Sean Finn blocked six shots against Saint Joseph’s in an 81-75 quarterfinal victory in 2002. He tied a Dayton school record. He’s one of 12 players in A-10 tournament history with six or more blocks in a game.

TODAY’S GAME

Dayton vs. Saint Joseph’s or La Salle, 7:30 p.m., Peacock, 95.7, 1290