The Dayton Flyers (17-3) look to extend their five-game winning streak against the struggling La Salle Explorers (5-13) at University of Dayton Arena. The game starts at 2:00 pm ET on Saturday, Jan. 30 and can be seen on NBS.
The Flyers won big over Saint Louis 73-37 on Wednesday. Kendall Pollard was the game’s high scorer with 18 points on 8-for-9 shooting. The Explorers are coming off an awful 87-60 loss to Duquesne on Tuesday. Tony Washington stood out for La Salle, posting nine points, 12 rebounds, and two blocks.
Over the last five games, Charles Cooke and Dyshawn Pierre have played at a high level for the Flyers. During that stretch, Cooke has averaged 18.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 2.2 steals, 1.5 blocks, and 2.5 three-pointers. Not to be outdone, Pierre has put up 17.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.6 steals, and 2.4 three-pointers.
The inefficient offense of the Explorers (318th in the nation with an offensive efficiency of 96.0) will attempt to infiltrate the elite defense of the Flyers (25th in the nation with a defensive efficiency of 94.5). The matchup on that end of the floor seems to lean toward Dayton.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Explorers won the first game 61-57. Cooke had a standout performance with 21 points, five rebounds, two steals, one block, and four three-pointers in the loss.
The Flyers come into this game 17-3 Straight Up (SU) and 11-8 Against The Spread (ATS). Opposing teams know they’re in for a battle when they play Dayton’s stingy defense. The Flyers are one of the top teams when it comes to defense, allowing just 64.5 points per game. Teams have to fight for open shots against the Flyers, who have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the country at .401. Opponents have consistently had their shots rejected by the Flyers, ranking 50th in the country in blocks per game with 4.8.
In the other locker room, the Explorers have 5-13 SU and 4-11 ATS records.
La Salle won the last meeting this season between these two teams, 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. Furthermore, Dayton leads the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4. Dayton topped the Explorers in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) one time over the last five matchups. La Salle has never had the edge in all three categories.
Predictions: SU Winner – Dayton, ATS Winner – Dayton
Notes
Dayton is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Dayton’s last 6 games.
Dayton is 18-5 SU in its last 23 games when playing La Salle.
Dayton is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against La Salle.
La Salle averages 64.1 points per game, placing the team just 294th in the nation. Dayton ranks 33rd in points allowed, giving up 64.5 points per game.
Dayton won its last game by a 36-point margin. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, La Salle is 1-5. Dayton is 5-1 in blowouts this season.
The Dayton Flyers average 68.1 possessions and 1.086 points per possession in games this season. The La Salle Explorers average fewer possessions with 66.8, as well as fewer points per possession with .960.
La Salle has an average effective field goal percentage of 47.4%. Dayton is a dazzling 8-2 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
Dayton ranks 74th in assists, registering 15.3 per game. La Salle performs worse at 288th with 11.7 assists per game.
La Salle ranks 308th in offensive rebounds, while Dayton ranks at 53rd in defensive rebounds.
On average, La Salle forces a turnover rate of 19.2%. When Dayton turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a solid 8-3 record.
