Where: UD Arena
TV/Radio: Spectrum News 1, ESPN+; 1290 and 95.7 WHIO
» ARCHDEACON: Watson’s career high ignites Flyers
Probable Dayton starters
Obi Toppin, 6-9, R-So., F, 21.1
Jalen Crutcher, 6-1, Jr., G, 12.1
Trey Landers, 6-5, Sr., G, 10.7
Ryan Mikesell, 6-7, R-Sr., F, 10.3
Rodney Chatman, 6-1, R-Jr., G, 9.1
» RECRUITING: Former Florida State recruit picks Flyers
Probable North Texas starters
Umoja Gibson. 6-1, R-So., G, 15.8
Javion Hamlet, 6-4, R-Jr., G, 8.7
Deng Geu, 6-8, Gr., F, 8.6
Zachary Simmons, 6-10, Jr., F, 7.0
James Reese, 6-4, Jr., G, 6.6
Last game: Dayton beat Drake 78-47 on Tuesday. North Texas beat Little Rock 76-53 on Saturday.
Series history: This is the first meeting.
Coaches: Anthony Grant is 43-30 in his third season at Dayton. Grant McCasland is 45-36 in his third season at North Texas.
» DRAKE GAME: Flyers feeling really good after eighth win
About Dayton: Dayton has a 92 percent chance of winning this game, according to KenPom.com, which predicts a 74-58 score. … Dayton is 44-54 against current Conference USA teams, though 21 of the losses were against Marshall and came before 1960. … Landers ranks 15th in the country in effective field-goal percentage (70.5). Toppin is 19th (70.1). … Ibi Watson ranks 44th in the country in 3-point shooting percentage (48.8). … Jhery Matos has made 4 of 6 3-pointers in his last two appearances. … Crutcher has 827 career points. He passed Kyle Davis (820) in the Saint Mary's game and ranks 67th in school history. He ranks 12th in school history with 374 assists.
About North Texas: The Mean Green seeks their first victory against a top-25 team since 1971 when they beat No. 15 Louisville. … North Texas compiled back-to-back 20-win seasons the last two years, breaking a streak of five straight losing or .500 seasons. It last played in the NCAA tournament in 2010. … Gibson has averaged 20.2 points in the last six games. … North Texas tied a school record with 19 made 3-pointers in its last game. Gibson made seven 3-pointers. … North Texas was picked to finish seven in the Conference USA preseason poll.
Looking ahead: Dayton plays Colorado (8-2) at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the United Center in the Chicago Legends doubleheader. Iowa plays Cincinnati in the second game at 9 p.m. In its last game before Christmas, Dayton plays Grambling State (6-5) at 7 p.m. Monday.
About the Author
