“I don’t have any shoes yet to match,” Key said Thursday. “We’ll see if I get my shoes in time.”
Dayton (8-2) saves the alternate jerseys for big games, and this is one of the most important home games in decades. Marquette (9-1) is the highest-ranked team to play the Flyers on Tom Blackburn Court since No. 6 Pittsburgh in 2007. It’s the ninth top-six team to play Dayton on its home court since UD Arena opened in 1969, but seven of those matchups came in the arena’s first 15 seasons.
“The whole team’s excited,” Key said. “The whole program’s excited. I know everyone’s going to be ready to go. They’re a really good team coming into our arena. We’ve got to be focused and ready to play.”
Dayton played well against three ranked teams in three days at the Maui Invitational in November, losing to No. 12 North Carolina and No. 5 Iowa State by a total of seven points before beating No. 2 Connecticut 85-67. This will be the first time Dayton has played four teams ranked in the top 15 in one season since the 2007-08 season when it beat No. 14 Louisville and No. 6 Pittsburgh and lost twice to No. 10 Xavier.
Dayton’s leading scorer, fifth-year guard Enoch Cheeks, said the Maui experience gives the team confidence for this game.
“We played our hearts out there,” Cheeks said. “We showed that we’re able to compete with anybody. This is a good opportunity for us.”
Dayton and Marquette announced a two-game series in July. The Flyers will play in Milwaukee in the 2025-26 season. This game will mark the first matchup between Dayton coach Anthony Grant and Marquette coach Shaka Smart, who succeeded Grant at Virginia Commonwealth in 2009.
Grant was asked Thursday if he was surprised that Marquette agreed to the series.
“Shaka is putting his team in a position where it’ll be tested before conference play,” Grant said.
Grant also thinks Dayton’s ability to consistently rank high in the NCAA Evaluation Tool — it was a top-25 team last season and is No. 39 entering this game — helped it land the game.
“Teams like Marquette or other high-profile teams understand when they come here this is an opportunity for a Quad 1 game,” Grant said. “That’s what all of us are looking for — those opportunities that put you where you want to be at the end of the year.”
Credit: David Jablonski
Credit: David Jablonski
Here are 10 things to know about the game:
1. Series history: Marquette leads the series 21-14. Dayton is 11-6 in the series at home, 2-15 on the road and 1-0 on a neutral court.
2. Big East opponents: Dayton has won three straight games against Big East Conference teams. It beat No. 2 Connecticut 85-67 on Nov. 27. It beat St. John’s 88-81 in the semifinals of the Charleston Classic in 2023. It beat Butler 69-64 in the first round of the Battle 4 Atlantis in 2018.
The last Big East team to play Dayton at UD Arena was Seton Hall, which won 69-64 on Dec. 21, 2011.
3. Storied program: Marquette finished 27-10 last season and reached the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2013. It played in the NCAA tournament in each of Smart’s first three seasons after making two appearances in Steve Wojciechowski’s seven seasons.
Entering this season, Marquette ranked 43rd in NCAA Division I history in wins (1,740). Dayton was 39th (1,759).
4. Strong start: Marquette started 8-0 with victories against three teams in the top 30 of the NCAA Evaluation Tool: No. 13 Maryland; No. 28 Purdue; and No. 22 Georgia. In its last game on Dec. 7, it beat Wisconsin 88-74. Wisconsin ranks 38th in the NET.
“They play really hard,” Grant said. “They’re one of the best defensive teams in the country. They’ve got veteran players. They’ve got a great system. The way they defend, the way they run offense, they’re just a complete, well-rounded team.”
5. Common opponent: Iowa State, which is No. 9 in the NET and No. 3 in the Associated Press top 25, is the only team to beat Marquette. It won 81-70 in Iowa on Dec. 4. Dayton lost 89-84 to Iowa State on Nov. 26 in the Maui Invitational.
6. Top returners: Kam Jones, a 6-foot-4 senior guard, leads Marquette in scoring (20.4 points per game). He has 1,594 points in four seasons. He ranks third in the KenPom.com national player of the year standings.
• David Joplin, a 6-7 senior forward, ranks second on the team in scoring (14.8) and leads the team in rebounding (5.6).
• Like Jones and Joplin, Stevie Mitchell, a 6-2 senior guard, is in his fourth season with the program. He’s third on the team in scoring (11.9).
7. Top newcomers: Royce Parham, a 6-8 freshman forward, and Damarius Owens, a 6-7 freshman forward, average 6.0 and 5.9 points, respectively.
8. Strengths: Marquette ranks third in the country in turnover margin (plus 7.8). It averages 9.4 turnovers per game. Opponents average 17.2.
Dayton has committed one more turnover than its opponents this season (343-342). It averages 10.4 turnovers per game.
• Marquette ranks 15th in the country in 2-point field-goal percentage (59.5). Dayton ranks 36th (57.5).
9. Connections: Smart, who spent two seasons (2001-03) on Oliver Purnell’s staff at Dayton, will coach at UD Arena for the first since Jan 22, 2014, when he led VCU to an 80-66 victory against Dayton.
“It was really the time of my life,” Smart said Thursday on his weekly radio show, “but I could say that about any of the (schools) that I’ve been at. I really enjoyed the commitment to basketball there. It’s a basketball school a lot like Marquette. It’s a school with a rich tradition.”
10. Odds & Ends: KenPom.com gives Dayton a 48% chance of winning and predicts a 75-74 score. Dayton is No. 32 in the Pomeroy ratings. Marquette is No. 9.
• In the NCAA Evaluation Tool, Marquette is No. 6, and Dayton is No. 39. This is a Quadrant 1 game for both teams.
• Dayton forward Jacob Conner has missed five straight games since injuring his ankle on Nov. 20 in the first half against New Mexico State. Asked Thursday if Conner has returned to practice, Grant said, “He’s progressing. It’s really day to day at this stage.”
SATURDAY’S GAME
Marquette at Dayton, 7 p.m., CBS Sports Network, 1290, 95.7
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