The Atlantic 10’s top two teams will collide when the Dayton Flyers (13-3) welcome the George Washington Colonials (14-3) to University of Dayton Arena. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Friday, Jan. 15 and can be seen on ES2 and ES3.
The Flyers enter this game hoping for similar success after topping Davidson 80-74 on Tuesday. Dyshawn Pierre played a pivotal role, recording his first double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds. The Colonials, meanwhile, are coming off an 81-70 win against Massachusetts on Tuesday. Tyler Cavanaugh led the game in scoring by accounting for 26 points on 6-for-11 shooting.
Charles Cooke has taken his game to another level over the last five games for the Flyers. During that stretch, he has averaged 19.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 3.2 three-pointers. Cavanaugh has upped his play for the Colonials. In the same five-game span, he is averaging 19.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.6 steals, and 1.4 three-pointers.
The Flyers have gone 13-3 Straight Up (SU) and 7-8 Against The Spread (ATS).
As for their opponent, the Colonials have records of 7-6-1 ATS and 14-3 SU. The Colonials convert their free throws at a high percentage, ranking 10th in the nation at .766. The George Washington defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing only .302 shooting from three-point range.
These conference foes will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their most recent meeting a season ago, George Washington came out on top, but the win was not enough to overtake Dayton in their recent head-to-head series. Its record is now 4-6 SU over the most recent meetings. With a 7-3 record, the Flyers also have the advantage ATS. Dayton held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers two times in the last five matchups. On the other side of the court, George Washington never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – GW, ATS Winner – GW
Notes
Dayton is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games.
Dayton is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Dayton’s last 8 games.
Dayton is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Dayton is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing George Washington.
Dayton and George Washington both hold winning records of 3-1 against the Atlantic 10 Conference this season.
The Dayton Flyers average 68.2 possessions per game and 1.083 points per possession, while the George Washington Colonials earn fewer possessions (67.2) but more points per possession (1.134).
Dayton has an average effective field goal percentage of 52.7%. George Washington is a winning 3-1 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
Dayton ranks 80th in assists, registering 15.2 per game. George Washington performs worse at 117th with 14.5 assists per game.
Dayton, the 70th-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 4.6 per game. George Washington does worse, ranked 200th with 3.2.
The Dayton Flyers make an average of 6.1 steals per game. When the George Washington Colonials allow 6 or more steals, they are a formidable 8-2.
