Where: Ryan Center, Kingston, R.I.
TV/Radio: ESPN2; 95.7 FM, AM 1290 WHIO
Probable Dayton starters
Scoochie Smith, 6-2, Sr., G, 13.3
Darrell Davis, 6-5, Jr., G, 6.0
Ryan Mikesell, 6-7, So., F, 6.7
Kendall Pollard, 6-6, Sr., F, 13.8
Charles Cooke, 6-5, Sr., G, 16.7
Probable Rhode Island starters
Hassan Martin, 6-7, Sr., F, 14.1
Kuran Iverson, 6-9, Sr., F, 9.3
E.C. Matthews, 6-5, Jr., G, 15.1
Jeff Downtin, 6-3, Fr., G, 5.7
Jared Terrell, 6-3, Jr., G, 13.0
Series history: Dayton leads 17-14. The Flyers won 67-64 on Jan. 6 at UD Arena. Smith scored 21 points. Iverson led the Rams with 14. Last season, the Flyers won 68-66 at Rhode Island on Feb. 12, 2016. Rhode Island won 75-66 at UD Arena on Feb. 27, 2016.
Coaches: Dayton's Archie Miller is 133-60 in his sixth season. Rhode Island's Dan Hurley is 78-71 in his fifth season.
About Dayton: Dayton shares first place with Virginia Commonwealth in the Atlantic 10 with seven games to play. … Dayton's senior class has won 96 games. It will tie the school record for most wins in a four-year span if it beats Rhode Island. … KenPom.com gives UD a 40 percent chance of winning and predicts a 70-67 score. … In A-10 play, senior guard Kyle Davis is shooting 63 percent from the field. That's the best mark in the A-10. He also leads the conference in 3-point percentage (10 of 18, 55.6) and assist-to-turnover ratio (9.7, 29 assists, 3 turnovers). … Pollard has led the Flyers in scoring four games in a row. … Darrell Davis has made three 3-pointers three games in a row. It's the best three-game stretch of his career since his freshman season when he made 10 of 10 in three straight games.
About Rhode Island: The Rams have won four straight games against St. Bonaventure, George Washington, Davidson and Massachusetts. Their A-10 losses are to Dayton, La Salle and Richmond. They have yet to play VCU. They host the Rams on Feb. 25. Their last loss at home was to La Salle, 87-75 on Jan. 12. … Martin has 301 career blocks. He's the eighth player in A-10 history to reach that milestone. The Rams lead the conference with 6.8 blocks per game. … Rhode Island ranks last in A-10 play in free-throw percentage (60.8). … Rhode Island leads the A-10 in turnover margin (plus 2.91). … The Rams have averaged 5,156 fans in five A-10 games. That's the fifth-best total in the conference.
Looking ahead: Dayton plays at Saint Louis at 8 p.m. Tuesday and plays host to St. Bonaventure at 2 p.m. Feb. 18.
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