Where: Siegel Center, Richmond, Va.
When: 3:30 p.m. Friday
TV: NBC Sports Network/1290 and 95.7 WHIO.
Series: VCU leads 13-7 overall and 10-6 since joining the A-10 in 2013. This is the third meeting this season. VCU beat Dayton 66-43 on Jan. 23 at the Siegel Center and 76-67 on Feb. 9 at UD Arena. Dayton has never beaten VCU in the A-10 tournament. VCU beat Dayton 71-65 in the 2015 A-10 championship game and 77-72 in the second round in 2018.
» PHOTOS: Dayton vs. Rhode Island
Last game: Dayton beat Rhode Island 84-72 in the second round on Thursday at the Siegel Center. VCU lost 65-57 at Davidson in its regular-season finale Saturday.
Coaches: Anthony Grant is 78-39 in four seasons at Dayton. Mike Rhoades is 78-42 in four seasons at VCU.
Probable Dayton starters
Name, Ht., Class, Pos., Avg.
Jalen Crutcher, 6-1, Sr., G, 18.0
Ibi Watson, 6-5, R-Sr., G, 16.0
Rodney Chatman, 6-1, R-Sr., G, 8.1
Jordy Tshimanga, 6-11, R-Sr., C, 6.6
R.J. Blakney, 6-6, Fr., G, 4.7
Probable VCU starters
Nah’Shon Hyland, 6-3, So., G, 19.2
Vince Williams, 6-6, Jr., G, 11.1
Levi Stockard, 6-8, Sr., F, 6.7
Hason Ward, 6-9, So., F, 6.4
Adrian Baldwin, 6-1, Fr., G, 6.6
About Dayton: KenPom.com gives Dayton a 32 percent chance of winning and predicts a 70-64 score. ... Dayton has not beaten a higher-seeded team in the A-10 tournament since 2011 when as the No. 9 seed it beat No. 8 Massachusetts 78-50 in the first round and then beat No. 1 seed Xavier 68-67 in the quarterfinals. ... Dayton seeks its first quarterfinal victory since 2015 when as the No. 2 seed it beat No. 7 St. Bonaventure 75-71. Dayton is 8-11 in quarterfinal games. ... Crutcher passed Johnny Davis (1,562 points, 1973-76) on Thursday to move into 16th place in Dayton history in career points (1,566). ... Watson scored 25 points in the second round. It was the highest-scoring performance by a Dayton player in the A-10 tournament since Kendall Pollard scored 26 against St. Bonaventure in 2015.
If Dayton beats VCU today, it would be its biggest victory in the A-10 tournament since March 11, 2011, when after losing twice to Xavier in the regular season, it beat the top-seeded Musketeers 68-67 in the quarterfinals. That's also the last time it beat a higher-seeded team. pic.twitter.com/GUKvbFWtoF
— David Jablonski (@DavidPJablonski) March 5, 2021
About VCU: Hyland missed VCU’s last two games of the regular season with a foot injury. He practiced this week, Rhoades told the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and his status is considered day to day. Two other injured players will return for this game, Rhoades said: Williams, who sprained his ankle in the Davidson game; and Mikeal Brown-Jones, who had a hand/finger injury. ... After winning quarterfinal games in its first five seasons in the A-10, VCU has lost its last two games in that round: 76-67 to No. 1 seed Rhode Island in 2018; and 75-70 to No. 8 seed Rhode Island in 2019. ... VCU is contending for a NCAA tournament at-large berth. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi listed it among the eight teams on the right side of the bubble in his latest bracket, predicting it will receive a No. 11 seed.
Other quarterfinal games: Duquesne will play No. 1 seed St. Bonaventure (13-4) at 11 a.m. in the quarterfinals. The Bonnies beat the Dukes twice in January: 62-48 and 65-61. The Dukes haven’t reached the semifinals since they lost in the championship game to Temple in 2009.
• UMass will play No. 4 Saint Louis (13-5) at the Robins Center at 1 p.m. UMass lost 78-57 at Saint Louis in the regular-season finale Monday.
Saint Louis won the last A-10 tournament in 2019. UMass hasn’t reached the semifinals since 2013.
• George Mason will play No. 3 Davidson (12-7) at 5 p.m. at the Robins Center. The teams did not play in the regular season.
Looking ahead: Dayton or VCU will play No. 3 seed Davidson (12-7) or No. 6 George Mason (13-8) at 9 p.m. Saturday at the Siegel Center. That game will be televised by the CBS Sports Network. The semifinal winners advance to the championship game, which will be played at 1 p.m. March 14 at UD Arena.
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