When: 7 p.m. Wednesday.
TV/Radio: Spectrum News 1/ESPN+/95.7 and 1290 WHIO.
Series: Dayton leads 16-14. Dayton swept two games from UMass in 2019 and 2020. They didn’t play last season because of COVID-19 reasons.
Last game: On Saturday, Dayton won 74-62 at Saint Joseph’s, and UMass won 80-74 at home against La Salle.
Coaches: Anthony Grant is 96-49 in five seasons at Dayton. Matt MCall is 58-78 in five seasons at UMass.
Probable Dayton starters
Name, Ht., Class, Pos., Points per game
DaRon Holmes II, 6-10, Fr., F, 11.6
Toumani Camara, 6-8, So., F, 10.9
Malachi Smith, 6-0, Fr., G, 9.3
Kobe Elvis, 6-2, Fr., G, 9.1
R.J. Blakney, 6-6, R-Fr., G, 6.1
Probable UMass starters
Noah Fernandes, 5-11, Jr., G, 14.5
Rich Kelly, 6-1, Gr., G, 13.0
Trent Buttrick, 6-8, Gr., F, 11.3
TJ Weeks Jr., 6-4, So., G, 9.7
Michael Steadman, 6-10, Sr., F, 7.3
About Dayton: KenPom.com gives Dayton a 89 percent chance of winning this game and predicts a 80-66 score. ... Dayton seeks its second five-game winning streak of the season. It would be the second-longest A-10 winning streak in Grant’s five seasons. The 2019-20 team won 18 straight. ... After four straight victories against Duquesne, George Washington, Rhode Island and Saint Joseph’s, UD ranks 52nd in the NCAA Evaluation Tool. With its 72-52 victory against Saint Louis, Davidson jumped UD to become the highest-ranked A-10 team at No. 49. UMass is 181st. ... Holmes was named the A-10 Rookie of the Week on Monday for the fifth time. He ranks sixth in the nation and first among freshmen in dunks (58). ... With three steals against Rhode Island last week, Smith set the school record (51) for most steals in a season by a freshman. He passed Derrick Dukes (48, 1990-91). Smith ranks second in UD history for assists by a freshman (131). Juwan Staten set the record of 190 in 2010-11.
About UMass: The Minutemen have alternated wins and losses for the last nine games. They have not won multiple games in a row since November when they beat UMass Lowell, Rutgers and Harvard. ... CJ Kelly, a 6-5 junior guard, led the team with 18 points against La Salle. He averages 11.0 points per game. ... Rich Kelly, a transfer from Quinnipiac, is shooting a league-best 50% (31 of 62) from 3-point range during A-10 play. ... Buttrick played the last four seasons at Penn State, averaging 3.0 points per game as a senior. ... Fernandes, who played his first season at Wichita State, is one of six players on the roster who attended Woodstock Academy in Connecticut in high school. ... UMass was picked to finish ninth in the A-10 preseason poll. It was 8-7 last season with a 6-4 A-10 record.
Looking ahead: Dayton plays La Salle (7-17, 2-12) at 2 p.m. Saturday at Tom Gola Arena in Philadelphia.
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