When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
TV/Radio: Spectrum News 1, ESPN+/1290 WHIO
Series: Dayton and NKU have played once. The Flyers won 99-82 on Dec. 1, 1993. The teams met in a preseason scrimmage before the 2017-18 season when John Brannen, who coached under Dayton’s Anthony Grant earlier in his career, was the NKU coach.
Dayton and NKU play Tuesday for the first time since Dec. 1, 1993. Dayton beat NKU, Wright State and four other opponents that season. Lynchburg legend Paul Cluxton, who struck me out in high school, played in that game for NKU. pic.twitter.com/c8qlsZuK5H
— David Jablonski (@DavidPJablonski) December 7, 2020
Coaches: Anthony Grant is 65-32 in four seasons at Dayton. Darrin Horn is 25-10 in his second season at NKU.
Probable Dayton starters
Name Ht. Class Pos. Avg.
Ibi Watson, 6-5, R-Sr., G, 19.5
Chase Johnson, 6-9, R-Jr., F, 14.0
Jalen Crutcher, 6-1, Sr., G, 11.5
Jordy Tshimanga, 6-11, R-Sr., C, 9.0
Rodney Chatman, 6-1, R-Sr., G, 8.0
Probable NKU starters
Trevon Faulkner, 6-3, Jr., G, 14.7
Marques Warrick, 6-2, Fr., G, 13.3
Adrian Nelson, 6-7, Jr., F, 10.7
Bryson Langdon, 5-9, Jr., G, 10.3
Adham Eleeda, 6-5, Sr., W, 6.0
About Dayton: Dayton last played an Horizon League team two years ago, beating Detroit 98-59. ... Dayton ranks 59th in the Ken Pomeroy ratings. NKU is 203rd. KenPom.com gives Dayton a 90 percent chance of winning this game and predicts a 77-63 score. ... With 23 points in the first two games, Crutcher passed Frank Case (1,175 points, 1957-60) and Damon Goodwin (1,191 points, 1982-86) in the Dayton record books. He ranks 34th with 1,193 career points. ... Tshimanga leads Dayton with 10 rebounds per game. ... Dayton was originally scheduled to play another Horizon League team, Purdue Fort Wayne, on this date, but Fort Wayne had to pause basketball activities because of COVID-19 issues. NKU also had another game scheduled on this date. It was supposed to play Campbellsville-Harrodsburg.
About NKU: This is NKU’s ninth season in Division I and sixth season in the Horizon League. It played in the NCAA tournament in 2017 and 2019 when Brannen was the head coach. ... Horn, who previously was the head coach at Western Kentucky and South Carolina, guided the team to a 23-9 record in his first season last season, and the Norse would have played in the NCAA tournament as the Horizon League tournament champion if the tournament had not been cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic. ... NKU shot 43.3 percent from the field, 29.6 percent from 3-point range and 57.8 percent from the free-throw line in its first three games. It committed 21 turnovers Saturday in a 79-72 loss at Chattanooga. ... Nelson and Dayton’s Watson played together at Pickerington Central High School. Watson was a senior in 2015-16 when Nelson was a sophomore.
Next game: Dayton plays Mississippi State (2-2) at noon Saturday at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
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