#5 Dayton Beats VCU for 15th Straight Win

Jalen Crutcher led the way with 18 points as fifth ranked Dayton beat VCU 66-61 in Richmond on February 18th. It was the 15th straight win for the Flyers, who lead the Atlantic 10 Conference with a 13-0 record and are 24-2 overall. Dayton’s only losses have been at then #4 Kansas 90-84 and to Colorado 78-76.

The Atlantic 10 has several teams playing well this season; seven had at least 17 wins through February 18th, including Dayton’s opponent VCU (17-9). While it’s highly unlikely that all seven will make the NCAA Tournament, three or four at least should, depending on how the Atlantic 10 Tournament goes. Dayton has been a frequent participant in the NCAA Tournament, but hasn’t appeared since 2017. Last year the Flyers were 21-12, but had to settle for the NIT, losing in the first round.

The Flyers have six regular season games left, and will get a challenging game on February 22nd when they host Duquesne (8-4 in the A10, 18-6 overall). Dayton beat the Dukes 73-69 in Pittsburgh on January 29th. The biggest challenge will be March 4th, when the Flyers are at Rhode Island. The Rams are 11-2 in the A10, and 19-6 overall. The Flyers beat the Rams 81-67 in Dayton on February 11th. If Dayton runs the table the rest of the way, they would have a solid claim as one of the top four seeds in the NCAAs, especially in a season where fewer teams have been dominant than in the past.