Derkack then added, “It’s hard for us to lose here,” in the blue uniforms, though the color of the uniform doesn’t matter much. Whatever color Dayton chooses for home games, it is hard to beat at UD Arena. Its 33-game winning streak in non-conference home games proves that. It is 31-5 at home in A-10 games in the same stretch.
Dayton is getting closer to matching the 40-game winning streak in non-conference home games it had from 2006-10. East Tennessee State ended that streak by beating Dayton 73-68 on Dec. 1, 2010.
While most of the games in the current streak are buy games in which Dayton is a big favorite, the streak also includes victories against Virginia Tech, Southern Methodist, Northwestern, Marquette, UNLV and now Florida State.
The next opponent will also challenge the streak. Dayton (9-3) plays Liberty (7-3) at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at UD Arena in its final non-conference game before an 11-day break and then 18 straight Atlantic 10 Conference games.
Here are five things to know about the matchup:
Credit: Barbara J. Perenic
Credit: Barbara J. Perenic
1: Series history: Dayton has never played Liberty, a former Big South and Atlantic Sun Conference member that is entering its third season in Conference USA. This is the start of a home-and-home series. Dayton will play Liberty in Lynchburg, Va., in the 2026-27 season.
Dayton was 2-1 against CUSA teams in coach Anthony Grant’s first eight seasons. It lost 75-67 to Old Dominion at the Charleston Classic in 2017, beat North Texas 71-58 at UD Arena in 2019 and beat New Mexico State 74-53 in 2024 at UD Arena.
Liberty has played at UD Arena but not against Dayton. At the First Four in 2013, it lost 73-72 to North Carolina A&T. Liberty guard John Caleb Sanders missed a layup at the buzzer that would have won the game.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
2: State of the program: Liberty finished 28-7 overall and 13-5 in the CUSA last season. It was the fourth time in a seven-year span it won 27 or more games. It played in the NCAA tournament for the third time in the last six tournaments.
Liberty coach Ritchie McKay is 279-137 in 13 seasons. This is his second stint with the Flames as head coach. He first led the program from 2007-09. He spent six seasons as an associate head coach on Tony Bennett’s staff at Virginia before returning to Liberty in 2015.
Liberty was voted the preseason favorite in the CUSA this season.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
3: Scouting report: Brett Decker Jr., a 6-foot-3 sophomore guard, leads Liberty in scoring (18.1 points per game). He averaged 4.3 points as a freshman. He ranks 22nd in the country in 3-point shooting percentage (30 of 56, 53.6%).
• Kaden Metheny, a 5-11, sixth-year guard, ranks second in scoring (13.0). He played his first three seasons at Bowling Green. He passed the 1,000-point milestone in Liberty’s last game, a 95-57 victory against Midway University, a NAIA program.
• JJ Harper, a 6-5, fifth-year guard, ranks third in scoring (11.0). He played for three lower-division schools in the previous four seasons.
• Colin Porter, a 5-9 senior guard, is the team’s fourth double-digit scorer (10.4). He’s a four-year starter for Liberty.
• Zach Cleveland, a 6-7 senior forward, ranks third in the nation in assists (8.8).
• Liberty ranks 20th in the nation in 3-point shooting percentage (39.1) and 13th in 2-point shooting percentage (61.3). It ranks 360th in free-throw percentage (60.4).
4: Season summary: Liberty started 5-0 with victories against three teams ranked in the top 200 of the Ken Pomeroy ratings: No. 196 Charleston; No. 117 Florida Atlantic; and No. 181 Vermont.
Liberty has since lost three of its last five games, falling to No. 147 Towson, No. 123 Bradley and No. 28 North Carolina State.
After the 85-45 loss at N.C. State on Dec. 10, Liberty beat an NAIA program, Midway University, 95-67 on Tuesday.
“It’s been a long six days,” McKay said after the game. “We aren’t as bad as we played, and N.C. State had a ton to do with that. But if you get stuck on one game or one performance, whether it’s really good or really poor, you’ll have a really long season.”
Credit: David Jablonski
5: Odds & Ends: KenPom.com gives Dayton a 79% chance of winning and predicts a 78-69 score.
Dayton climbed from No. 68 to No. 59 in the Pomeroy ratings after beating Florida State. Liberty is No. 113.
• Dayton is No. 75 in the NCAA Evaluation Tool. Liberty is No. 140. This is a Quadrant 3 game for Dayton and a Quad 1 game for Liberty.
• Dayton guards Javon Bennett and De’Shayne Montgomery share the team lead in scoring (16.4 points per game). They each have scored 197 points.
• Dayton ranks ninth in the country in turnovers forced per game (17.7) and 14th in free throws attempted per game (28.0).
NEXT GAME
Who: Liberty at Dayton
When: 12:30 p.m., Saturday
Streaming: USA Network
Radio: 95.7-FM, 1290-AM
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