Dayton basketball: Ranking the best victories of Anthony Grant’s nine seasons

This time, the players weren’t far from the spot where six students wore white T-shirts spelling “FIREAG” during a game against St. Bonaventure on Feb. 3. Four straight losses leading up to that 72-70 victory and five losses in six games killed the mood in the student section and left most members of the Flyer Faithful in a foul mood earlier this month.

Just as that stretch came out of nowhere after a 5-0 start in Atlantic 10 Conference play, a four-game winning streak surprised many people who were ready to count out Grant and the Flyers. They fell out of contention for an A-10 regular-season championship with that skid but are building hope that they can contend in the A-10 tournament.

After the game Tuesday, Grant had a simple message for the players.

“He just said he was proud of us,“ Dayton guard Jordan Derkack said. ”He was proud of the preparation, and then he was proud that we executed the way he wanted. This one was big for him. We had a little rough patch in the middle of the season, and I think we’re starting to get in a big groove here. And he is the reason why this is happening."

Last month, after Dayton lost 67-64 at La Salle, the Dayton Daily News ranked the worst losses of Grant’s nine seasons, using the Ken Pomeroy ratings as a measuring stick.

This is a good time to rank the best victories. No. 27 Saint Louis is the fourth-highest ranked team in the Pomeroy ratings Dayton has defeated in Grant’s tenure, though its spot in those ratings could change by the end of the season.

Dayton has 16 losses to teams ranked 200 or below since the 2017-18 season. It now has 15-25 against top-50 teams. Here’s a look at the 15 victories.

1: Nov. 26, 2021: 74-73 vs. No. 3 Kansas

Mustapha Amzil’s buzzer beater beat the Jayhawks, who would win the national championship that season, in the semifinals of the ESPN Events Invitational in Kissimmee, Fla. Dayton beat Kansas for the first time since the 1968 NIT final and avenged an 90-84 overtime loss to the Jayhawks in the Maui Invitational in 2019.

2: Dec. 12, 2021: 62-57 vs. No. 19 Virginia Tech

The Flyers built an 18-point lead in the second half at UD Arena and then hung on despite a late scoring slump that saw them score seven points in an 11-minute stretch. R.J. Blakney scored a career-high 19 points.

3: Nov. 17, 2023: 88-81 vs. No. 21 St. John’s

Daron Holmes II scored 21 points on 6-of-14 shooting in the semifinals of the Charleston Classic. The Flyers, who beat Louisiana State in the first round, improved to 3-0 against teams coached by Rick Pitino.

4: Feb. 24, 2026: 77-62 vs. No. 27 Saint Louis

Dayton rode a 40-15 lead in the first half to a victory at UD Arena, avenging a 102-71 loss at St. Louis on Jan. 30. Amaël L’Etang scored a career high 26 points.

5: Dec. 14, 2024: 71-63 vs. No. 29 Marquette

Dayton Flyers rallied from a 13-point deficit in the second half to beat Marquette, which ranked sixth in the Associated Press top-25 poll. It was the Flyers’ biggest upset on Tom Blackburn Court since a victory against No. 6 Pittsburgh in 2007.

6: March 1, 2021: 55-52 at No. 32 St. Bonaventure

Dayton beat a team on the road that had won three games in a row and clinched the A-10 regular-season championship in its previous game.

7: Nov. 27, 2024: 85-67 vs. No. 32 Connecticut

Dayton recorded its biggest upset since 1974, knocking off Connecticut, which ranked second in the AP poll, in the seventh-place game at the Maui Invitational. Enoch Cheeks scored 10 of his 20 points in the last six minutes.

8: March 7, 2025: 79-76 at No. 34 Virginia Commonwealth

On VCU’s Senior Night, Dayton avenged a 73-68 loss to VCU at UD Arena a month earlier and won at the Siegel Center for the third time in the last four seasons. The loss prevented VCU from winning the A-10 championship outright. It shared the title with George Mason.

9: Dec. 8, 2019: 78-68 vs. No. 38 Saint Mary’s

On a neutral court in Phoenix, Ariz., Dayton dominated from the opening minutes and withstood a run by the Gaels in the second half to improve to 7-1. Jalen Crutcher led Dayton with 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting.

10: Dec. 16, 2023: 82-68 vs. No. 39 Cincinnati

Dayton led by double figures throughout the second half and stretched its lead to as many as 18 points. Cincinnati got as close as nine points in the final five minutes. DaRon Holmes II led Dayton with 28 points on 10-of-17 shooting.

11: March 4, 2022: 82-76 vs. No. 40 Davidson

At UD Arena, Dayton beat a team that clinched a share of the A-10 title in its previous game. The Flyers made 10 of 19 3-pointers and shot 54.9% from the field. Holmes scored 20 points. Koby Brea had 18 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 43 seconds to play.

12: March 21, 2024: 63-60 vs. No. 40 Nevada

In the first round of the NCAA tournament in Salt Lake City, Utah, No. 7 seed Dayton rallied from a 17-point deficit in the final eight minutes. Dayton trailed 56-39 with 7:39 to play. The Flyers began a 17-0 run on a free throw by Holmes with 7:14 to play.

13: Jan. 23, 2018: 65-64 vs. No. 43 Davidson

Dayton trailed 61-60 with 56 seconds left when Jalen Crutcher hit a 3-pointer. Trey Landers hit two free throws with 22 seconds left.

Davidson trimmed the deficit to one with a 3-pointer by Kellan Grady with 3 seconds to play. Darrell Davis missed the front end of a 1-and-1, and Davidson’s Kellan Grady missed a halfcourt shot at the buzzer, but the officials were waving the shot off before it missed. It came after the buzzer.

14: Nov. 9, 2024: 71-66 vs. No. 44 Northwestern

Dayton rallied from a 13-point first-half deficit in its first home game against a Big Ten opponent since 1997. Cheeks and Nate Santos each scored 16 points for Dayton

15: Jan. 25, 2020: 87-79 at No. 46 Richmond

At the Robins Center, Dayton built a 20-point lead in the second half and let Richmond get as close as eight points before regaining the momentum on a 3-pointer by Jalen Crutcher with 3:24 to play. mJalen Crutcher matched Obi Toppin for the team lead with 24 points.