On Senior Day last March, Dayton beat Virginia Commonwealth 68-67 in overtime to tie VCU and St. Bonaventure for the regular-season title. Each team finished 14-4. UD did not play in a conference for most of its history. It joined the Midwestern Collegiate Conference in 1988. It played for two seasons (1993-95) in the Great Midwest before moving to the Atlantic 10 in the 1995-96 season.
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Dayton won West Division championships (2000 and 2004). Last year’s championship was its first regular-season crown in a season when the A-10 didn’t have divisions. The Flyers have never repeated as regular-season champs. That’s the goal this season.
Here’s a look at their competitors in the order in which they were picked behind Dayton in the preseason poll Oct. 18. The coach’s quotes are from A-10 Media Day in Pittsburgh unless noted.
2. Rhode Island
Games against Dayton: At Dayton, Jan. 6; vs. Dayton, Feb. 10.
Last year's record: 17-15, 9-9 A-10 (Tied for seventh).
Three-year record: 54-43.
Coach: Dan Hurley, fifth season (62-64).
Top returners: Hassan Martin, 6-7, Sr., F (12.0 points per game); E.C. Matthews, 6-5, Jr., G; Jared Terrell, 6-3, Jr., G (13.6); Kuran Iverson, 6-9, Sr., F (9.8).
Notes: The return of Matthews, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first game last season, makes the Rams a popular pick to win the A-10. They're the only team from the conference ranked in the Associated Press preseason poll (No. 23). Matthews and Martin were named to the A-10 preseason second team. … UD ended a six-game losing streak in Kingston last season, winning 68-66 thanks to a 3-pointer by Darrell Davis with 21 seconds remaining. That victory marked the high-water point of Dayton's season. It was 21-3 and had won nine straight games. The Flyers lost their next two games and finished 4-5 the rest of the way.
Coach's quote: "We're not reflecting too much on last season. It didn't exactly work out the way we designed it in terms of what we were able to accomplish. It's really just an appreciation now. Every day we're in there with our full group together. It's an appreciation of putting the work in every day with potentially a special group of guys. We're just not taking anything for granted right now."
3. VCU
Games against Dayton: vs. Dayton, Jan. 27; at Dayton, March 1.
Last year's record: 25-11, 14-4 (tied for first); lost in second round of NCAA tournament.
Three-year record: 77-30.
Coach: Will Wade, second season (25-11).
Top returners: JeQuan Lewis, 6-1, Sr., G (11.3); Mo Alie-Cox, 6-7, Sr., F (10.4); Justin Tillman, 6-7, Sr., F (7.2).
Notes: The Rams lost two of their top three scorers: Melvin Johnson (17.4) and Korey Billbury (11.1). … Cox made the preseason second team. He ranks fifth in school history with 184 blocks and ranked second in the A-10 last season with 1.9 blocks per game. … Lewis made the preseason third team. He averaged 21.5 points in two NCAA tournament games. … VCU lost 75-73 to Division II Queens College on Friday in an exhibition game. VCU had 25 turnovers. Lewis and Jonathan Willliams (6-1, Jr., G) scored 13. … Wade enters his second season. He replaced Shaka Smart, who left for Texas.
Coach's quote: "It's certainly a little bit easier this year. I worked for Shaka, but we don't do everything the same. About 60 percent of what we do is what they did. We've had to change some things up. Our guys have a better understanding of what we're doing. I have a better understanding of the league. The league had changed since I left. Everybody in our league plays differently."
4. Davidson
Game against Dayton: vs. Dayton, Feb. 24.
Last year's record: 20-13, 10-8 (sixth place); lost in first round of NIT.
Three-year record: 64-34.
Coach: Bob McKillop, 28th season (516-313).
Top returners: Jack Gibbs, 6-0, Sr., G (23.5); Peyton Aldridge, 6-8, F (15.5); Jordan Watkins, 6-1, Jr., G (5.7); Nathan Ekwu, 6-7, Jr., F (5.7).
Notes: Gibbs, a Westerville North graduate whose grandpa played football at Ohio State, led the conference in scoring last season. He suffered a shoulder injury in the preseason and was expected to miss two to four weeks. He didn't play Friday in a 104-58 exhibition victory against Belmont Abbey. … Oskar Michelsen led the Wildcats with 20 points in the exhibition game. … Davidson plays one of the tougher non-conference schedules in the A-10 with games against North Carolina and Kansas and potentially Xavier in the Tire Pros Invitational.
Coach's quote: "The A-10 has no nights off. If you play Wednesday, you better be ready to play on Saturday. That's what separates this conference from so many other conferences in the country, whether it's the venue, the coaching or the roster, the competitive level of every team. Playing great teams in the preseason gets you ready for that."
5. St. Bonaventure
Games against Dayton: vs. Dayton, Jan. 3; at Dayton, Feb. 18.
Last year's record: 22-9, 14-4 (tied for first); lost in first round of NIT.
Three-year record: 48-36.
Coach: Mark Schmidt, 10th season (146-32).
Top returners: Jaylen Adams, 6-2, Jr., G (17.9); Idris Taqqee, 6-4, Jr., G, (5.1).
Notes: The Bonnies lost two of their top three scorers: guard Marcus Posley (19.6); and forward Dion Wright (16.7). … Adams was named to the All-A-10 first team. He increased his scoring averaged by 8.0 points per game and led the conference in 3-point percentage (43.8, 84-192). He also averaged 5.0 assists. … Senior forward Denzel Gregg was named co-sixth man of the year in the conference. He averaged 9.3 points and 5.3 rebounds. … The Bonnies add four transfers, including 6-3 guard Matt Mobley, who averaged 17 points per game for Central Connecticut State two seasons ago. One of the transfers, 6-6 wing Courtney Stockard, will miss the season with a foot injury. … Dayton beat St. Bonaventure 85-79 in Olean last January and then lost to the Bonnies 79-72 in Dayton. Adams scored 31 points at UD. … Nelson Kaputo, a 6-0 sophomore guard who averaged 4.4 points per game, will miss the first nine games after being ruled academically ineligible.
Coach's quote: "We have a lot of questions. We have seven new guys. We have some injuries. Whenever you have a point guard like Jay Adams, he gives you a chance. It's like in football, if you have a good quarterback, you can have success. We have a good quarterback. We have a good backcourt. Mobley is going to be a good player for us."
6. Richmond
Game against Dayton: at Dayton, Jan. 19.
Last year's record: 16-16, 7-11 (ninth place).
Three-year record: 56-44.
Coach: Chris Mooney, 11th season (203-162).
Top returners: T.J. Cline, 6-9, Sr., C (18.3); ShawnDre' Jones, 6-0, Sr., G (14.7); Marshall Wood, 6-8, Sr., F (8.6); Khwan Fore, 6-0, So., G (6.5).
Notes: Cline's scoring average was the highest by a Richmond player since 2001. He has 999 points the last two seasons. … Jones led the team with 60 3-pointers and became the 45th player in school history to hit the 1,000-point milestone. … Wood hit four or more 3-pointers in six games. … Richmond adds three freshmen who were all born in Richmond: 6-4 guard Nick Sherod; 6-4 guard De'Monte Buckingham; and 6-9 forward Grant Golden.
Coach's quote: "We need to team rebound, and gang rebound, and take care of boxing out, but also put ourselves in there and go get the ball," Mooney told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. "It's a concern. It's something we're working on. Sometimes, (the problem was) we weren't boxing out. Sometimes, it was a long rebound, and we didn't run it down. We need to address all of that and try to get those numbers to be more in our favor."
7. La Salle
Game against Dayton: at Dayton, Dec. 30 (A-10 opener).
Last year's record: 9-22, 4-14 (14th place).
Three-year record: 41-54.
Coach: John Giannini, 13th season (184-192).
Top returners: Jordan Price, 6-5, Sr., G (19.2); Amar Stukes, 6-2, Jr., G (5.8); Cleon Roberts, 6-6, Sr., G (12.9); Tony Washington, 6-10, Jr., C (7.7); Johnnie Shuler, 5-11, Jr., G (9.6).
Notes: The Explorers should be one of the most improved teams in the conference because they add three transfers who sat out last season: sophomore guard Pookie Powell (Memphis); junior forward Demetrius Henry (South Carolina); and junior forward B.J. Johnson (Syracuse). … Price enters the season with 1,164 points, ranking 40th in school history.
Coach's quote: "We are much deeper. We are more talented. We have to find our roles. It's not a matter of chemistry on the court. The kids play hard and share the ball, but in practice, all 10 players play all the time. Obviously, that's not the case in games. So we have to figure out our roles, and people have to accept them. If we do, we can have a terrific team."
8. George Washington
Game against Dayton: vs. Dayton, March 4 (regular-season finale).
Last year's record: 28-10, 11-7; won the NIT.
Three-year record: 74-32.
Coach: Maurice Joseph, first season.
Top returners: Tyler Cavanaugh, 6-9, Sr., F (16.8); Yuta Watanabe, 6-8, Jr., G (8.4).
Notes: Joseph was named interim coach Sept. 27 less than two weeks after Mike Lonergan was fired after an investigation into claims he verbally abused players. Lonergan coached from 2011-16 and was 97-70. Joseph was an assistant coach during those five seasons. … Junior guard Jaren Sina sat out last season after transferring from Seton Hall, where he averaged 7.0 points as a sophomore. … Senior forward Patrick Steeves graduated from Harvard and transferred to GW for his final season. He averaged 9.1 points last season. … Cavanaugh was the MVP of the NIT. The Colonials won the NIT for the first time, beating Valparaiso 76-60 in the final.
Coach's quote: "Once the decision was made for me to become head coach, everyone had a sigh of relief that we had a direction and could move forward and dive into the season because it was rapidly approaching. It was all hands on deck."
9. St. Joseph’s
Game against Dayton: at Dayton, Feb. 7.
Last year's record: 28-8, 13-5 (second place; A-10 tournament champion); lost in second round of NCAA tournament.
Three-year record: 65-36.
Coach: Phil Martelli, 22nd season (403-273).
Top returners: James Demery, 6-6, Jr., F (8.1); Shavar Newkirk, 6-0, Jr., G (8.0); Lamarr Kimble, 6-0, So., G (6.0).
Notes: The Hawks improved by 15 wins last year after a 13-18 finish in 2014-15. … They lost their three leading scorers: Isiah Miles (18.1); DeAndre Bembry (17.4); and Aaron Brown (10.4). … The Hawks have won two of the last three A-10 tournaments. … Pierfrancesco Oliva, a 6-8 forward, will miss the season with a knee injury. … Kimble was named to the All-A-10 rookie team last season.
Coach's quote: "I like James Demery. I just like the kid. He's always blessing me and telling me God is blessing me. I respond by saying I hope God blesses him by helping him make some baskets. We could really use that. He has an older feel to him because he's been through a lot. He started as a freshman and accepted the sixth-man role last year."
10. Massachusetts
Game against Dayton: vs. Dayton, Jan. 11.
Last year's record: 12-18, 6-12 (tie for 10th).
Three-year record: 53-42.
Coach: Derek Kellogg, ninth season (140-119).
Top returners: Donte Clark, 6-4, Jr., G (16.1); Seth Berger, 6-8, Jr., F (5.2); Rashaan Holloway, 6-11, So., C (5.2).
Coach's quote: "I think the guy who should make the biggest jump for us is Rashaan Holloway. He had a great five or six games to end the season for us and gave some hope to the people who follow UMass. He shed a good 25 pounds off a big frame. He still has a little more to go, but he's more productive in practice and been able to sustain it a little longer."
Notes: Holloway averaged 10.6 points in the last five games last season. … UMass lost three of its top four scorers. Trey Davis, Jabarie Hinds and Antwan Space combined to average 39.5 points per game. … The Minutemen's five-man freshman class ranked 27th in the country, according to ESPN. The recruits are: DeJon Jarreau, 6-5 G; Chris Baldwin, 6-8 F; Brison Gresham, 6-9, F; Unique McLean, 6-2 G; and Tyrn Flowers, 6-8 F. Greshan's academic status is uncertain, according to the Daily Hampshire Gazette. The team also adds Luwane Pipkins, who sat out his freshman season because he was academically ineligible. He was the 22nd-ranked point guard in the class of 2015. … Canisius transfer Zach Lewis will play this season after sitting out last season. He averaged 11.0 points per game as a sophomore.
11. Fordham
Game against Dayton: vs. Dayton, Jan. 31.
Last year's record: 17-14, 8-10 (eighth place).
Three-year record: 37-56
Coach: Jeff Neubauer, second season (17-14).
Top returners: Joseph Chartouny, 6-3, So., G (11.3); Christian Sengfelder, 6-7, Jr., F (10.3); Antwoine Anderson, 6-1, Jr., G (8.3).
Notes: The game in the Bronx will be the last for Dayton senior point guard Scoochie Smith in his hometown. … Fordham improved its win total by seven over 10-21 finishes in 2014-15 and 2013-14. It finished with its first winning record since 2006-07 (18-12).
Coach's quote: "We have six returning guys in our program, and there are four of them who I think have made major steps as far as improving their game from March. Antwoine is one of those guys. The thing he has really improved on is simply valuing the ball. We want the ball in his hands. He is our point guard. I also think he's going to be a significantly better shooter."
12. George Mason
Game against Dayton: at Dayton, Feb. 21.
Last year's record: 11-21, 5-13 (tied for 12th).
Three-year record: 31-63.
Coach: Dave Paulsen, second season (11-21).
Top returners: Otis Livingston II, 5-11, So., G (11.9); Marquise Moore, 6-2, Sr., G (11.4); Jaire Grayer, 6-4, So., G (9.4); Jalen Jenkins, 6-7, Sr., F (7.1).
Notes: Livingston was named to the A-10 all-rookie team. He led all league freshmen in scoring. … Eleven of the 14 players on the roster are freshmen, redshirt freshmen or sophomores.
Coach's quote: "We'll have some games this year, I am pretty confident we look awesome," Paulsen told the Washington Post. "And within three or four days, we can come back and look like we never practiced before."
13. Duquesne
Games against Dayton: vs. Dayton, Jan. 14; at Dayton, Feb. 4.
Last year's record: 17-17, 6-12 (tied for 10th).
Three-year record: 42-53.
Coach: Jim Ferry, fifth season (50-75).
Top returners: Darius Lewis, 6-11, Sr., C (6.3); Eric James, 6-8, Jr., F (9.1).
Notes: The Dukes lost their four leading scorers. Micah Mason, Derrick Colter, L.G. Gill and Jeremiah Jones accounted for 71.5 percent of the team's scoring. … Tarin Smith, a 6-2 guard who sat out last season after transferring from Nebraska, will play this season. The team also adds the first two grad transfers in school history: 6-3 guard Emile Blackman (Niagara) and 6-8 forward Kale Abrahamson (Drake). … Duquesne lost 79-74 to Division II Mansfield on Saturday in an exhibition. Darius Lewis and freshman guard Mike Lewis II each scored 14.
Coach's quote: "I really believe this could be a team that goes 10 deep without a significant drop-off when we go to the bench."
14. Saint Louis
Games against Dayton: at Dayton, Jan. 11; vs. Dayton, Feb. 14.
Last year's record: 11-21, 5-13.
Three-year record: 49-49.
Coach: Travis Ford, first season.
Top returners: Jermaine Bishop, 6-1, So., G (8.9); Mike Crawford, 6-4, Sr., G (10.3); Davell Roby, 6-4, Jr., G (6.3); Reggie Agbeko, 6-7, Sr., F (6.3).
Notes: After records of 28-7 and 27-7 in Jim Crews' first two seasons, the Billikens finished 11-21 the last two seasons. He was fired after the team's loss in the A-10 tournament. Ford, who played at the University of Kentucky, was hired 12 days after he was let go by Oklahoma State. Ford coached previously in the A-10 at UMass from 2005-08. … The Billikens have nine scholarship players on the roster. Eight were letterwinners a year ago. Three transfers will sit out the season: Javon Bess (Michigan State); D.J. Foreman (Rutgers); and Adonys Henriquez (Central Florida). … Saint Louis beat Greenville 124-85 in an exhibition game Friday. Freshman guard Zeke Moore scored 21. Crawford had 19. … Saint Louis has signed two four-star recruits in the class of 2017: Hasahn French, a 6-7 forward, and Jordan Goodwin, a 6-4 guard.
Coach's quote: "We're beating the bushes. I do take a lot of pride in recruiting. Right now we're trying to be very selective. I've been doing this for a long time. I've made a lot of mistakes right off the bat trying to sign a lot of players. Your first recruiting class is important. We're really looking at that right now. I've taken a few transfers who are sitting out and who are going to be impact players for us next season, but the foundation is going to be set by the players in this program right now."
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