Dayton Flyers: Comparing current team to great UD teams of past

The voice of the Dayton Flyers, Larry Hansgen, made this point Monday on the Anthony Grant Show. Hansgen said he saw a team full of players who had never played at La Salle or Saint Joseph’s — only Ryan Mikesell, Trey Landers and Jalen Crutcher had done so — but who took Dayton’s sad history at those schools in the last two decades to heart and used it as motivation.

Dayton ended a four-game losing streak at La Salle and a nine-game losing streak at Saint Joseph's in a four-day span in Philadelphia, improving to 13-2 and starting 2-0 in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The victories helped the Flyers move from No. 20 to No. 15 in the Associated Press poll Monday.

“We’ve got a really mature group that understands there are a lot of players and people that have come before them,” Grant said Monday on WHIO Radio, “and laid the path for the opportunities they enjoy now. They’ve got a tremendous fan base. At both games, both crowds were pro-Dayton. They know the following we have at home. They understand they’re not just playing for themselves. It’s bigger than themselves.”

» SAINT JOSEPH’S GAME: Flyers overcome adversity | Toppin battles foul trouble | Game photos

Almost halfway through the regular season, Dayton has put itself in position to be compared to some of the great teams of UD past. Here’s how the current team matches up to some of the best teams of the last two decades.

Record

The 2008-09 that won 27 games, started 14-1. The 2016-17 team, the last Dayton team to reach the NCAA tournament, was 12-3 through 15 games as was the 2014-15 team that won 27 games, the Elite Eight team of 2013-14 and the 2003-04 team that reached the NCAA tournament for the second straight season.

Rankings

This is the first Dayton team since 1957-58 to be ranked in the top 25 six straight weeks. The Flyers were never ranked in 2016-17. They ranked 22nd for one week in 2014-15 and had similar one-week stays at No. 25 in 2013-14 and at No. 15 in 2008-09. In the 2003-04 season, Dayton was ranked for three straight weeks and climbed as high as No. 23.

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

Offense

The current offense, led by Obi Toppin, who was named the national midseason player of the year by The Athletic on Tuesday, is on track to be one of the best in school history. It's the fourth-most efficient offense in the country, according to KenPom.com.

• Points per game:1. 2019-20 (83.1); 2. 2016-17 (75.9); 3. 2013-14 (72.2); 4. 2003-04 (68.0); 5. 2014-15 (67.8); 6. 2008-09 (66.8).

• Effective field-goal percentage: 1. 2019-20 (60.3); 2. 2016-17 (53.6); 3. 2014-15 (53.0); 4. 2013-14 (52.4); 5. 2003-04 (50.6); 6. 2008-09 (47.0).

• 3-point percentage: 1. 2016-17 (38.4); 2. 2019-20 (38.1); 3. 2013-14 (37.7); 4. 2014-15 (35.7); 5. 2008-09 (32.8); 6. 2003-04 (32.1).

» LA SALLE GAME: Examining 18-0 run | Photos | La Salle coach on Flyers

• Free-throw percentage: 1. 2019-20 (72.0); 2. 2016-17 (69.3); 3. 2014-15 (68.6); 4. 2013-14 (68.1); 5. 2003-04 (66.5); 6. 2008-09 (64.8).

• Turnover percentage: 1. 2016-17 (16.9); 2. 2014-15 (17.9); 3. 2013-14 (18.1); 4. 2019-20 (18.5); 5. 2008-09 (20.2); 6. 2003-04 (21.2).

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

Defense

Dayton’s defense is much improved from the last two seasons but lags behind some of the best teams in recent Dayton history.

• Points allowed per game: 1. 2014-15 (60.8); 2. 2008-09 (61.4); 3. 2003-04 (64.5); 4. 2019-20 (65.3); 5. 2016-17 (66.4); 6. 2013-14 (67.0).

• Effective field-goal percentage: 1. 2008-09 (45.6); 2. 2003-04 (46.9); 3. 2014-15 (47.2); 4. 2016-17 (47.7); 5. 2019-20 (47.8); 6. 2013-14 (48.8).

• 3-point percentage: 1. 2008-09 (31.1); 2. 2016-17 (32.3); 3. 2014-15 (32.4); 4. 2013-14 (33.2); 5. 2003-04 (33.6); 6. 2019-20 (34.4).

• Turnover percentage: 1. 2008-09 (21.9); 2. 2014-15 (21.1); 3. 2019-20 (21.0); 4. 2016-17 (20.9); 5. 2013-14 (18.8); 6. 2003-04 (16.0).

SATURDAY’S GAME

Massachusetts at Dayton, 12:30 p.m., NBC Sports Network, 1290 and 95.7 WHIO

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