Dayton Flyers
Record: 26-8, 13-5 Atlantic 10
Head coach: Archie Miller (4th season)
Season summary: The Flyers were unable to come back and defeat Virginia Commonwealth in the Atlantic 10 final, but still managed to grab an at-large bid, albeit one with a play-in game to get to the Round of 64. Dayton has overcome adversity en route to its tournament bid, persevering despite the dismissal of starting center Devon Scott and backup big man Jalen Robinson in December for violating team rules.
After the dismissal of the two 6-foot-9 juniors, the Flyers predictably struggled on the glass. Now without a player in its rotation that stands taller than 6-foot-6, Dayton ranks 297th nationally in rebounds per game. The Flyers make up for their lack of height with a trio of scorers in Jordan Sibert, Kendall Pollard and Dyshawn Pierre that combine to average more than 40 points per contest. They crash the boards aggressively in Scott’s absence, as the threesome are Dayton’s leading rebounders as well.
How they make a run: In the Flyers’ 59-55 victory against then-No. 22 Virginia Commonwealth, Sibert, Pollard and Pierre poured in 48 of the team’s 59 points. It may not take that extreme of an effort from Dayton’s three top players, but they are certainly going to have to all play well to avoid an early departure.
How they falter: The Flyers’ major flaw—the lack of a true big man and inside presence—catches up to them, and the roster isn’t deep enough to compete for 40 minutes against a more talented opponent.
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