• VCU has appeared in the NCAA tournament eight times since joining the A-10 in the 2012-13 season. Dayton earned six berths during the same span, if you count the appearance it would have made in 2020 if the tournament had not been canceled because of the pandemic. No one else in the A-10 has more than three appearances.
Dayton does have the edge in tournament victories over the last 12 seasons with a record of 6-5. VCU is 2-7 in eight appearances. It withdrew from the 2021 tournament before playing a game because of COVID-19 issues on the roster.
• VCU has the best record in A-10 regular-season games (155-63, .711) since the 2012-13 season. In the same stretch, Dayton has the second-best A-10 record (153-67, .695).
• VCU won the A-10 tournament twice in its first 12 seasons. Saint Joseph’s and Saint Louis also each won two tournament championships in that stretch. Dayton has not won the tournament since 2003.
• VCU has the best record (21-9, .700) in the A-10 tournament since 2012-13. Dayton’s record (8-11, .421) is tied for the eighth worst.
Dayton (16-7, 6-4) plays VCU (18-5, 8-2) twice in the last eight games of the regular season. The first matchup takes place at 7 p.m. Friday at UD Arena. Players on both sides likely know few of those facts, but they know about the importance of the rivalry — or n the case of the newcomers who will play in the game for the first time this week — they are learning about it.
“It’s definitely a rivalry,” said Dayton guard Javon Bennett on Tuesday after a 69-63 victory against Davidson at UD Arena. “They’re going to come in and try to impose their will against us, but we’ve just got to stay focused and not let emotion get the best of us and try to win the game.”
“I think (the players) know how good VCU is and what their program has been about for a long time,” Dayton coach Anthony Grant said. “Certainly when our teams get together, I don’t think there’s any secret that it’s a big game.”
Credit: David Jablonski
Here are 10 things to know about Dayton’s 24th game:
1. Series history: VCU leads the series 14-7. It has won seven of the last 10 games in the series and three of the last four games at UD Arena. The teams have split two regular-season games three seasons in a row. Prior to beating VCU at UD Arena last year, Dayton lost 49-47 at VCU’s Siegel Center in February.
Grant is 6-11 against VCU, where he coached from 2006-09, during his tenure at Dayton.
2. State of the program: VCU finished 24-14 overall and 11-7 last season, the first for coach Ryan Odom. The program is on its way to its fourth straight 20-win season and 25th straight winning season.
3. Season summary: VCU finished 10-3 in non-conference play. It lost to the two highest-ranked teams on its schedule: New Mexico, which is No. 41 in the NCAA Evaluation Tool; and No. 75 Nevada. It beat No. 82 Colorado State but lost to No. 217 Seton Hall.
In A-10 play, VCU lost on a buzzer-beater at St. Bonaventure in its league opener and fell 78-69 at Saint Louis on Jan. 28. It won its last two games at home against Richmond and La Salle by a combined 81 points.
4. Standings update: George Mason (18-5, 9-1) won 53-50 at George Washington on Wednesday to remain in first place. VCU, the preseason favorite, sits one game behind George Mason. Saint Louis (14-9, 7-3) and Dayton round out the top four.
5. Top returners: Joe Bamisile, a 6-foot-4, fifth-year guard, leads VCU in scoring (16.4) after ranking second (13.1) last season.
• Max Shulga, a 6-4, fifth-year guard, led VCU in scoring last season (14.0) and ranks second this season (15.3).
6. Top newcomer: Phillip Russell, a 5-10, fifth-year guard, ranks third in scoring (11.7). He started his career at Saint Louis and then played two seasons at Southeast Missouri State and one season at the University of Texas at Arlington.
7. NCAA tournament picture: VCU is in the mix for a NCAA at-large berth, according to the latest Bubble Watch story from The Athletic.
“The Rams are looking at an uphill climb despite a gaudy 18-5 record,” Jim Root wrote. “They do not have a signature win, and their only real chance to get one — Friday night at Dayton — may not even be a Q1 game when all is said and done. VCU’s best chance is to stack more wins, find a way to secure the A-10 regular season title and cheer against the other bubblers.”
8. Hot and not: Dayton’s Nate Santos and Bennett have the same 3-point shooting numbers through 10 A-10 games (22 of 51, 43.1%).
• Dayton forward Zed Key has averaged 2.0 points and 9.5 minutes in the last four games. He averaged 12.5 points in 23.6 minutes per game through the first 12 games.
9. Strengths and weaknesses: VCU has averaged 79.9 points per game in A-10 play. That’s the top mark in the conference. Dayton ranks fifth (71.2).
• VCU ranks 10th in A-10 play in free-throw attempts (127 of 167, 76%). Dayton is sixth (142 of 191, 74.3%).
10. Odds & Ends: KenPom.com gives Dayton an 43% chance of winning and predicts a 71-69 score. Dayton fell from No. 73 to No. 75 in the Pomeroy ratings after beating Davidson. VCU is No. 35.
• Dayton ranks 73rd in the NCAA Evaluation Tool. It is the third highest-ranked A-10 team behind No. 37 VCU and No. 69 George Mason.
This is a Quadrant 2 game for Dayton and a Quad 1 game for VCU. Dayton is 2-2 in Quad 1 games, 2-3 in Quad 2, 5-2 in Quad 3 and 6-0 in Quad 4. VCU is 0-1 in Quad 1, 4-3 in Quad 2, 2-0 in Quad 3 and 11-1 in Quad 4.
FRIDAY’S GAME
VCU at Dayton, 7 p.m., ESPN2, 95.7, 1290
Credit: David Jablonski
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