The Aggies fell on hard times the last two seasons but were off to a 3-0 start this season before losing 74-53 at UD Arena on Wednesday. New Mexico State now ranks 166th in the Ken Pomeroy ratings. That makes it Dayton’s second-best victory after No. 61 Northwestern.
Dayton (5-0) climbed from No. 43 to No. 39 after its fifth straight victory to start the season.
“All these games have a life of their own,” Grant said. “I’ve got a lot of respect for New Mexico State. When I watch them on film, this is a dangerous team.”
Dayton won in part by committing only seven turnovers. It was the third time this season Dayton has had single-digit turnovers. The Flyers rank 31st in the country in turnover percentage (13.3), according to KenPom.com. That would be the program’s best number in the KenPom.com era (since 1996-97) if it holds up.
“When you look at what our backcourt was able to do,” Grant said, “those guys did an outstanding job being able to handle the pressure and take care of the ball and be efficient.”
Credit: David Jablonski
Credit: David Jablonski
Injury news: Dayton forward Jacob Conner suffered a non-contact injury in the final seconds of the first half and was not on the bench in the second half. After the game, Grant said Conner turned his ankle, but he did not have any more information than that.
On to Maui: Dayton left Friday for the Maui Invitational. It’s one of the few trips the team makes with commercial airlines rather than a charter flight. The Flyers will fly from Dayton to Denver and then to Kahului Airport in Maui.
Anthony Grant and the other seven coaches in the tournament will appear at a press conference at 8 a.m. Sunday (Maui time) at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort. Each coach will also coach a local youth in a free-throw contest at 8:30 a.m.
Dayton plays North Carolina at 11:30 p.m. Monday. The game starts at 6:30 p.m. in Maui.
By comparison: Dayton is by far the smallest school at the Maui Invitational in terms of enrollment.
The official Maui Invitational media guide lists these enrollment figures for the eight schools: Michigan State (51,316); Colorado (37,000); Auburn (33,015); Connecticut (32,332); Iowa State (30,432); North Carolina (20,566); Memphis (20,272); and Dayton (8,443).
In terms of NCAA tournament victories, one team is far ahead of the pack: North Carolina (133-50); Michigan State (73-36); UConn (71-32); Memphis (35-28); Iowa State (23-23); Dayton (20-21); Auburn (19-13); and Colorado (13-18).
Credit: David Jablonski
Credit: David Jablonski
Credit: David Jablonski
Credit: David Jablonski
Recruiting news: Four high school players sat behind the Dayton bench on Wednesday: Jackson Williams, a 6-4 guard in the class of 2026 from Spire Academy; Jayon Alexander, a 6-1 guard in the class of 2026 from Spire; Collin Ross, a 6-10 center in the class of 2026 from Spire; and Dazon Reid, a 6-3 guard in the class of 2027 from Huntington Prep.
On the calendar: The voice of the Flyers, WHIO’s Larry Hansgen, will host a Dayton Sports History discussion at 1 p.m. Dec. 6 on the Centerville campus of Sinclair College. The address is 5800 Clyo Road. The event will take place in Room 105. For more information and to register, visit www.sinclair.edu/lifelong.
Gift idea: Trading cards featuring all 17 members of Dayton’s 2024-25 roster are now available for purchase through Dayton6th.com/cards. All proceeds go to the players. Each pack contains 10-plus cards, and there will be one autographed card in every pack. Each pack costs $50.
MONDAY’S GAME
Dayton vs. North Carolina in Maui Invitational, 11:30 p.m., ESPN2, 1290, 95.7
Credit: David Jablonski
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