First road game big test for Dayton Flyers

The coronavirus has turned postgame interactions into an unacceptable risk. It’s another reminder of how the pandemic hovers over the season. After a flurry of early-season cancellations, Dayton (2-1) had the fortune of playing three games in eight days at UD Arena.

Now the Flyers go on the road for the first and only time during non-conference play. They play Mississippi State (3-2) at 3 p.m. Saturday at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. The game time and television station was changed on Friday. The original time was noon. It was supposed to be televised on ESPNews but will now be on ESPNU. It’s the second of four games in one day at the Holiday Hoopsgiving event.

“We’re looking forward to having a chance to compete again, having a chance to play against a very good opponent and learn more about ourselves,” Grant said Tuesday after a 66-60 victory against Northern Kentucky. “We’ve got three games under our belt, and every one’s been different in terms of the styles of play we’ve seen and some of the things we’re learning about ourselves. We’ve got a couple of days here to get prepared before we head out. We’re doing the things we can, that are under our control, to stay as healthy and safe as possible and also to get prepared to go down and win a game.”

Grant wants to see more discipline and more consistency from his team in the weeks ahead. This is one of two remaining non-conference games, though Dayton could choose to add a game or games between Dec. 19m when it plays Mississippi at UD Arena, and Dec. 30, when it plays host to La Salle in its Atlantic 10 Conference opener.

Here’s are three things to know about Saturday’s game:

1. Offensive production: Dayton has scored 66, 64 and 66 points in its first three games. It scored fewer than 70 points twice in 31 games last season and 10 times in 33 games in the 2018-19 season.

Dayton’s shooting percentages are still strong. It ranks 32nd in the nation in effective field-goal percentage (55.9) and 41st in free-throw percentage (76.6).

Dayton’s weak spot has been turnovers. It has turned the ball over on 27.9 percent of its possessions, which ranks 291st in the country. Last season, that number was 18 percent.

“It was really frustrating,” Dayton forward Chase Johnson said Tuesday. “Twenty turnovers was 33 percent of our possessions. It’s definitely something we’ve got to fix moving forward. We’ve go to take it a lot more seriously.”

2. Youth vs. experience: Dayton’s five starters, three of whom are fifth-year seniors, make it the 15th most experienced team in the nation. Mississippi State ranks 277th in experience.

The Bulldogs lost their four leading scorers from last season: Reggie Perry; Tyson Carter; Nick Weatherspoon; and Robert Woodard.

3. Series history: Dayton is 0-3 against Mississippi State. It is one of five teams Dayton has played at least three times without winning. Dayton is 0-11 against Michigan, 0-4 against UCLA and 0-3 against Tulsa and Virginia.

Mississippi State is also one of four Southeastern Conference teams Dayton has never defeated. It is 0-2 against South Carolina, 0-1 against Florida and has never played Missouri.

Dayton and Mississippi State played in Grant’s first two seasons as Dayton coach. Dayton’s Jalen Crutcher and Mississippi State’s Abdul Ado are the only players remaining from the game Mississippi State won 61-59 in 2017. Quindarry Weatherspoon made the game-winning shot with 0.8 seconds remaining.

A year later, Mississippi State was ranked 25th when it outscored Dayton 21-17 in the final six minutes to win 65-58 at UD Arena.

Mississippi State coach Ben Howland said Thursday his team was fortunate to win both of those games. An interesting subplot then and now is Howland coaching against Dayton assistant Ricardo Greer, who played for Howland in his junior and senior seasons at Pittsburgh.

“Ricardo is one of my favorite players,” Howland said. “I just loved him. ... I’m just really proud of him. He’ll be a great head coach someday.”