A lost ball also played a minor role in a game between the No. 25 Dayton Flyers and Saint Louis on Tuesday at Chaifetz Arena. Officials couldn’t find the ball after a timeout. Play paused as they searched.
Dayton trailed 22-19 when the officials misplaced the ball and dominated the game after the incident. No one should connect one thing to the other, though if the ball had never been found, Saint Louis would have avoided another low point in a lost season and the Flyer Faithful would have added a new chapter to their somewhat star-crossed history.
Instead, No 25 Dayton (23-6, 13-4) took over the game with a 21-3 run in the first half and led by double digits the rest of the way in a 100-83 victory. The Flyers bounced back from a 77-72 loss Friday at Loyola Chicago with their biggest offensive outburst since a 106-79 victory against Virginia Commonwealth in 2018 at UD Arena.
This was the type of performance that will have everyone in Dayton dreaming of the program’s long-awaited return to March Madness — a certainty after this victory, if it wasn’t already.
“It’s right there,” Dayton forward DaRon Holmes II said. “We’re still focused on the next game, but when it’s time we’ll be ready.”
Selection Sunday is March 17. Dayton first plays one more regular-season game against VCU (19-11, 11-6) at 7 p.m. Friday at UD Arena. It will then play a quarterfinal game in the A-10 tournament on March 14 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
“It’s on the horizon for our group,” Dayton coach Anthony Grant said. “They’ve earned it. We’ve got Friday, which is huge for us. We’ll take it one game at a time like we have our year and won’t get ahead of ourselves no matter what else is going on.”
Dayton has not played in the NCAA tournament since 2017. The Flyers narrowly missed an at-large berth in 2022 and lost the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament championship last season when it needed to win the tournament to earn the automatic berth. This month, it is playing to improve its seeding in the tournament, knowing it has locked up an at-large berth.
“I’ve been dreaming of it since my freshman year,” guard Koby Brea said. “Just to see that we’re finally in the mix for it, it’s awesome to see.”
“We’ve been thinking about that since the start of the year,” guard Kobe Elvis said. “This game will put us in a good position for seeding. That’s what we’re playing for now. That’s been our end goal.”
Most experts on BracketMatrix.com predict Dayton will receive a No. 5, 6 or 7 seed. Dayton has played in the NCAA tournament 11 times since the NCAA started seeding teams.
Dayton earned its highest seed, No. 4, in 2003 and lost 84-71 to No. 13 Tulsa in the first round It was a No. 7 seed the last time it played in the tournament in 2017 and lost to No. 11 Wichita State. It had a chance to earn a No. 1 seed in the 2020 tournament, which was cancelled because of the pandemic.
The 2023-24 Flyers were competing for a top-four seed until lost four road games in A-10 play. While that seems unlikely now, they can still build momentum for March Madness with strong performances this week and next week in the A-10 tournament. The victory against Saint Louis was a good first step.
Dayton tied a school record and set a Chaifetz Arena record with 18 made 3-pointers on 33 attempts (54.5%). It also made 18 3s of 34 attempts in a 91-67 victory against Oakland on Dec. 20 at UD Arena. The previous school record of 17 made 3-pointers on 32 attempts was set in a 106-79 victory against Virginia Commonwealth on Jan. 12, 2018.
Brea and Elvis each made 5 of 8 3-pointers and scored 21 points. Nate Santos made 2 of 4. Enoch Cheeks made 2 of 3. Holmes made 2 of 4. Petras Padegimas and Brady Uhl each made one.
“It’s great to see the ball go in,” Grant said.
Dayton played without starting point guard Javon Bennett, who sat on the bench with a brace on his left thumb after suffering an injury in the first half against Loyola. Enoch Cheeks started the game at point guard and shared duties with Kobe Elvis. Cheeks had 15 points 10 rebounds, five assists and three turnovers in 34 minutes. Elvis had 21 points, three rebounds, five assists and one turnover in 27 minutes.
“They stepped into different roles and did a really good job,” Grant said.
Bennett had appeared in all 28 games and had started the last 27 games. He came off the bench in the season opener when Malachi Smith started at point guard. Smith suffered a season-ending injury in the opening minutes of that game.
“Javon has done a really good job,” Elvis said. “I’ve gotten a good look at two point guards, him and Malachi, and been able to talk to them. Cheeks did a phenomenal job. We went back and forth, kind of similar to how me and Javon did it. I definitely wasn’t too bothered by it. I’ve been in this position more than enough. I think I’m more than capable of handling it.”
FRIDAY’S GAME
VCU at Dayton, 7 p.m., ESPN2, 95.7, 1290
About the Author
