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Preview: Dayton vs. Duquesne

Updated 12:03 AM Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Time, TV: 7 p.m., WHIO-TV (Ch. 7)

Radio: WHIO-FM (95.7), WHIO-AM (1290)

Series record: UD leads 44-21

Starting lineups

DAYTON Yr. Ht. Pos. PPG

Kevin Dillard Jr. 6-0 G 13.0

Paul Williams Sr. 6-4 G 8.8

Chris Johnson Sr. 6-6 F 12.1

Luke Fabrizius Sr. 6-9 F 6.6

Matt Kavanaugh Jr. 6-9 F 9.3

DUQUESNE Yr. Ht. Pos. PPG

T.J. McConnell So. 6-2 G 11.7

Sean Johnson Jr. 6-2 G 14.1

Eric Evans Sr. 5-11 G 9.3

B.J. Monteiro Sr. 6-5 F 15.1

Andre Marhold Jr. 6-7 F 5.5

About Dayton

UD is tied for seventh nationally in free-throw shooting at 76.6 percent. In A-10 games, the Flyers have made a league-high 8.4 three-pointers per game, but they’ve been inconsistent overall. They’re shooting 37.3 percent from beyond the arc in their 16 wins and 28.9 in their 10 losses. Matt Kavanaugh is third in the A-10 in offensive rebounds at 3.3 per game and seventh in field-goal percentage at 55.0. Kevin Dillard is second in the A-10 in assists (5.8) and in assist-turnover ratio (2.0-1.0). In his last seven games, Chris Johnson is averaging 17.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and has made 21-of-22 free throws. Ralph Hill, a sub forward, became sick after the Fordham win Feb. 11 and played just three minutes in the last two games, but he’s 100 percent again.

About Duquesne

The Dukes have won at least 15 games for four consecutive seasons, their longest streak since 1968-73. They lost 16 straight in the series with UD from 1997-2004 but have won seven of the last 13 games. They carved up the Flyer defense in an 83-73 win in the first meeting Feb. 1, shooting 51.7 percent from the field. They made 10 three-pointers in the first half and went 12-for-23 for the game. Overall, they’ve struggled on 3s, ranking 10th in the A-10 at 33.5 percent. The Dukes’ small lineups cause match-up problems, but they’ve been getting pounded on the boards. They’re last in the league in rebound margin at minus-6.5 per game. The Dukes are averaging 3,186 fans at the Palumbo Center. T.J. McConnell is third in the league in assists (5.6), first in steals (3.0) and first in assist-turnover ratio (2.1-1.0).

FYI

The outcome may depend largely on how the Flyers’ shooting guards do. In A-10 games, Paul Williams has averaged 8.8 points and is shooting 25.0 percent in six wins and averaging 5.3 points and connecting at a 20.4 rate in six losses. Josh Parker, who also has logged a lot of minutes at the point, is averaging 9.5 points and shooting 46.0 percent in victories and averaging 6.0 points and hitting 30.6 in defeats.

Quote, unquote

On the numbers of Williams and Parker, UD coach Archie Miller said: “It goes to show the importance of guard play — more so guards in our league because it’s not a heavy front-line league. It’s not like the Big 12 or Big Ten where you’re dealing with five or six guys they throw the ball into all the time. ... From our standpoint, when we do have balance from the perimeter spot, we’re a little harder to deal with.”

DOUG HARRIS, staff writer

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