Dayton, among the favorites in the Atlantic 10, looks to snap a two-game losing streak when the Flyers play host to George Mason on Wednesday.
The Flyers (11-5, 1-2) dropped consecutive conference road games against George Washington, 82-62, and UMass, 76-72, last Wednesday. A key factor was that UMass won the rebounding battle, 38-26, including 13-7 on the offensive glass. UMass also hit 19 of 20 free throws (.950), while the Flyers shot 28 of 38 (.737). UMass won despite shooting just 3 for 20 from three-point range (.015), but Dayton wasn’t very good either at 6 for 24 (.250).
George Mason (12-5, 3-1) has won two in a row since a 62-59 loss at Rhode Island.
Since then, the Patriots earned home wins over Richmond, 64-68, and UMass, 77-70. A 43-26 rebounding edge keyed the win over UMass. Darius Maddox, a 6-foot-5 senior, led four double-figure scorers with 18 points.
Dayton is 10-0 at home, while George Mason is 1-4 on the road.
George Mason at Dayton Betting Odds
Dayton is a 7.5-point college basketball betting favorite on BetMGM against George Mason with the Over/Under 134.5.
The moneyline for Dayton is -350 while it is +260 for George Mason.
George Mason at Dayton on TV
The game between George Mason and Dayton will be televised by CBS Sports Network.
Tonight’s tipoff is shortly after 7 p.m. ET at UD Arena.
George Mason at Dayton Prediction
I like Dayton laying the 7.5 points. The Flyers will be out to snap their two-game funk, plus their record at home should ensure a big effort.
A low-scoring game would favor George Mason. The Patriots lead the Atlantic 10 in scoring defense, allowing 62.1 points per game. That was 12th best nationally entering Tuesday.
Dayton is seventh in the Atlantic 10 in both scoring (76.3 PPG) and scoring defense, allowing 68.8 points. George Mason is averaging 73.6 points, which is 11th in the Atlantic 10. Of the two teams, Dayton has the better prestige win, defeating UConn 85-67 on Nov. 27 in Hawaii.
The best team that George Mason has played is Duke, but the Patriots lost a 68-47 decision to the host Blue Devils.
Dayton has a balanced offense with four players averaging in double figures, led by 6-foot-7 senior Nate Santos (14.5 PPG). The other top scorers are 6-foot-3 senior Enoch Cheeks (12.5 PPG), 6-foot-8 graduate Zed Key (11.8 PPG), and 6-foot-0 redshirt junior Malachi Smith (10.9 PPG). The fifth starter is 5-foot-10 junior Javon Bennett (9.2 PPG).
Dayton does a good job taking care of the ball. The Flyers lead the Atlantic 10 in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.65), which is also 17th nationally.
The Flyers shoot .342 from three-point range, while George Mason is at .327.
Maddox leads George Mason with a 13.8 scoring average. The other top scorers are 6-foot-8 senior Jalen Haynes (12.2 PPG) and 6-foot-4 junior Brayden O’Connor (10.5 PPG).
O’Connor is also shooting a team-best .400 from three-point range, sharing the team lead with 6-foot-0 senior K.D. Johnson.
Dayton still remains the second-highest ranked Atlantic 10 team according to Kenpom.com, and entered Tuesday 54th nationally. (VCU was the top Atlantic 10 team at 43rd). George Mason is the fourth-highest Atlantic 10 team at 88th.
Not a lot separates the top teams in the Atlantic 10, but Dayton will be looking to bounce back in a big way.
