22nd Ranked Dayton Versus UNLV: Will the Flyers Continue Flying After Beating Marquette?
The Dayton Flyers in their last game forced their way into the top 25 with a win over Marquette. Dayton is led by senior Enoch Cheeks out of Rhode Island. Cheeks averages 15.8 points per game and hauls in 7.3 boards per game, both team highs. However, as they showed in their last game, Dayton has a balanced attack. Part of that attack includes forward out of Illinois, Nate Santos. The senior averages 13.8 points per game and 5.9 rebounds per game. A solid option for the Flyers to go to as a secondary scorer. Another senior forward out of New York is Zed Key. He averages 12.4 points per game and contributes on the glass by averaging four rebounds per game. This just shows that the Flyers aren't a one-man show and guys can pick up the slack if others are struggling. The Flyers have put themselves in the top 25 and it's much deserved. They have a 9-2 record and are trying to win their fifth in a row.
On the other side of the court is the UNLV Rebels. UNLV has been struggling recently, they have lost three of their last four and have a 5-4 record. The Rebels are led by guard Dedan Thomas Jr, a sophomore out of Nevada. Thomas Jr. averages 16.7 points per game to lead the team as well as 3.8 assists per game, also a team high.
They also have another scoring option, a junior out of California, Jeremiah Cherry. The junior averages 11 points per game and grabs a team-high 6.4 boards per game. Their bench has a few options, including Jailen Bedford and Jaden Henley. They average 10.4 and 9.6 points per game respectively.
There is no surprise that with these limited options, UNLV doesn't score a ton. They average 72.8 points per game which is ranked 242nd in the nation. Dayton on the other hand has tons of options and scores 79.8 points per game, which puts them at 94th in the nation. The Flyers will certainly not miss many shots as they rank 24th in field goal percentage at 49.8 percent. This efficient shooting has them at 24th in college basketball in this category. UNLV can't say the same as they average 44.5 percent which again has them in the 200s at 203rd in the nation.
Dayton also has a distinct advantage in that they don't turn the ball over much. They are sixth in the nation, only turning the ball over an average of nine times per game. The Rebels turn it over 11 times per game and this has them at 79th in college basketball. Dayton certainly won't turn it over much and this allows them to build leads and not give teams easy points.
I can see this game being put to bed early in the second half. Based on how Dayton has played compared to UNLV, I think this game will be all Flyers. I imagine they would win this one by double digits for sure. We will see as the game tips off at 6 pm Central time tonight on Peacock. The game will be played at the University of Dayton Arena.
