Dayton basketball: What to know about Saturday’s game vs. Richmond

Fans in the Rhode Island student section chanted “First first out!” at the Dayton Flyers in the second half Wednesday at the Ryan Center in Kingston. That might have stung UD’s players if they were losing — they had a double-digit lead at that point — and if the Flyers were anywhere near the NCAA tournament bubble.

Three years ago, Dayton was the first team left out of the NCAA tournament field. Two years ago, it blew a double-digit lead and lost 68-56 to Virginia Commonwealth in the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament championship game when it needed a victory to reach the NCAA tournament. Last year, a seven-year NCAA tournament drought ended for Dayton as it earned an at-large bid and a No. 7 seed.

This year, Dayton’s chances of earning an at-large bid faded as the A-10 losses mounted. Dayton’s goal has shifted to earning a top-four seed in the A-10 tournament because the top-four teams earn double byes to the quarterfinals. It might need to win its last three regular-season games against Richmond, Saint Louis and Virginia Commonwealth to get one.

Dayton (19-9, 9-6) plays Richmond (10-19, 5-11) at 2 p.m., Saturday, at UD Arena with the hope of building on an 85-77 victory against Rhode Island. The idea of creating magic in March and erasing the disappointment of January and February is in the back of everyone’s minds, especially the five players in their final year of eligibility.

“I definitely want to go out with a bang and try to make it special,” senior forward Nate Santos said.

Credit: David Jablonski

Here are 10 things to know about Dayton’s 29th game:

1. Senior Day: Dayton will celebrate Senior Day before the game on Saturday. It’s not the last home game — that will be held Tuesday against Saint Louis — but it’s a weekend game, so it will be easier for players’ families to attend.

Six players will be honored: Brady Uhl, Enoch Cheeks, Zed Key and Posh Alexander, who are all fifth-year players; Santos; and Malachi Smith, a redshirt junior who will graduate in the spring. Smith is the only player in the group who has a season of eligibility remaining.

UD will also honor four senior student managers: John Hannan, of Cleveland; Jackson Conroy, of Philadelphia; Liam Armstrong, of Dayton; and Ayden Johnson, of Centerville.

2. Series history: Dayton leads the series 22-11. It won nine straight games against Richmond before a 68-64 loss in the A-10 semifinals in 2022. Last year, Dayton lost 69-64 at Richmond. Richmond has lost six straight games at UD Arena since a 70-61 victory in 2011.

3. State of the program: Richmond finished 23-10 overall last season and 15-3 in the A-10. It won a share of the regular-season championship for the first time, sharing first place with Loyola Chicago.

This is the 20th season for Richmond coach Chris Mooney. He’s 358-287 with three NCAA tournament appearances (2010, 2011 and 2022).

4. Standings update: Virginia Commonwealth (23-5, 13-2) and George Mason (22-6, 13-2) are tied for first. Loyola Chicago (19-9, 10-5) sits alone in third.

Dayton, Saint Joseph’s (18-10, 9-6) and Saint Louis (16-12, 9-6) share fourth place. Richmond is in 13th place in the 15-team league.

5. Season summary: Richmond finished 5-8 in non-conference play. It beat George Washington and Massachusetts to start A-10 play but then lost seven straight games.

It enters this game on a two-game skid with double-digit losses at Saint Joseph’s and at home to VCU. In a 78-60 loss to VCU on Tuesday, the Rams made 10 of 15 3-pointers in the first half and built a 51-33 halftime lead. The Spiders trailed by as many as 22 points in the second half before cutting the deficit to nine points with six minutes to play.

“They played just incredibly well in the first half,” Mooney said. “Obviously, when any team shoots like that, they’re going to have a tremendous chance to win the game. I thought we played well in the first half offensively. I thought we competed and played a very good defensive second half. We made some adjustments to try to make it a little bit harder, and then we were able to come back and make it a game.”

6. Roster changes: Richmond lost its top four scorers from last season, including A-10 Co-Player of the Year Jordan King, who was in his final season of eligibility, and Dji Bailey, who transferred to LSU for his final season.

7. Top returner: Delonnie Hunt, a 6-foot, fifth-year guard, ranked fifth in scoring last season. He leads the team this season (16.8).

8. Top newcomer: Dusan Neskovic, a 6-7 senior forward, ranks second on the team in scoring (13.8). He played the last three seasons at Dartmouth.

9. Strengths and weaknesses: Richmond has shot 83.2% from the free-throw line in A-10 play. That’s the best mark in the league. Dayton ranks third (77.3%).

• A-10 opponents have shot 35.4% from 3-point range against Richmond. That’s the worst mark in the conference. Dayton’s defense has the 12th-worst mark (34.5).

10. Odds & Ends: KenPom.com gives Dayton an 90% chance of winning and predicts a 78-64 score. Dayton ranks 78th in the Pomeroy ratings. Richmond is No. 240.

• Dayton ranks 72nd in the NCAA Evaluation Tool. It is the third highest-ranked A-10 team behind No. 29 VCU and No. 65 George Mason. No. 252 Richmond is the lowest-ranked A-10 team.

This is a Quadrant 4 game for Dayton and a Quad 2 game for Richmond. Dayton is 2-4 in Quad 1 games, 3-4 in Quad 2, 8-1 in Quad 3 and 5-0 in Quad 4. Richmond is 0-4 in Quad 1, 0-3 in Quad 2, 4-9 in Quad 3 and 4-3 in Quad 4.

SATURDAY’S GAME

Richmond at Dayton, 2 p.m., CBS Sports Network, 1290, 95.7