Dayton vs. VCU: What you need to know about A-10 tournament matchup

Flyers, Rams meet for third time Thursday in Washington, D.C.

Who: Dayton (14-16) vs. Virginia Commonwealth (17-14)

When: Noon, Thursday

Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.

What: Second round of Atlantic 10 tournament

TV/Radio: NBC Sports Network; AM 1290, News 95.7 WHIO

» RELATED: Changes coming to NCAA selection show

Probable Dayton starters

Josh Cunningham, 6-7, R-Jr., F, 15.5

Darrell Davis, 6-5, Sr., G, 15.4

Trey Landers, 6-5, So., G, 11.1

Jalen Crutcher, 6-1, Fr., G, 9.2

Jordan Davis, 6-2, Fr., G, 8.0

Probable VCU starters

Justin Tillman, 6-8, Sr., F, 18.9

De’Riante Jenkins, 6-5, So., G, 12.8

Isaac Vann, 6-6, R-So., F, 9.7

Jonathan Williams, 6-1, Sr., G, 9.2

Sean Mobley, 6-8, Fr., F, 4.4

Series history: VCU leads the series 8-5. The teams split two games in the regular season. Dayton won 106-79 on Jan. 12 at UD Arena. VCU won 88-84 in overtime on Feb. 10 in Richmond, Va.

Coaches: Anthony Grant is 14-16 as Dayton head coach. His career record in 10 seasons is 207-126. Mike Rhoades is 17-14 in his first season at VCU.

» WHIO PODCASTS: Flyer Feedback | Game replays | Anthony Grant Show

Last games: On Saturday, Dayton beat George Washington 88-78 at UD Arena, and VCU won 83-58 at Fordham.

About Dayton: KenPom.com gives Dayton a 45 percent chance of winning and predicts a 76-75 score. … Only three points separate Cunningham and Darrell Davis (466-463). If Cunningham ends the season as the team's leading scorer, it will be the seventh straight season a transfer has led Dayton. Kevin Dillard, Jordan Sibert and Charles Cooke each led the team in scoring for two years. Not since Chris Wright in 2010-11 has a player who started his career at Dayton as a freshman led the team in scoring. … Dayton has won at least one A-10 tournament game 17 times in 22 years. It has started the tournament in the quarterfinals or advanced to at least the quarterfinals four years in a row.

About VCU: The Rams have played in the championship game in each of their first five seasons in the A-10. They beat Dayton 71-65 in the 2015 title game for their only championship. They lost 70-63 to Rhode Island in the final game in Pittsburgh last season. … Tillman had 18 points and 13 rebounds against Fordham. Mobley scored a career-high 16 points. … VCU needs to win the tournament to extend a streak of seven straight NCAA tournament appearances. The same goes for Dayton, which has received at-large berths four years in a row.

Other A-10 games: No. 5 seed George Mason plays No. 12 La Salle or No. 13 Massachusetts at 2:30 p.m. No. 7 Richmond plays No. 10 Duquesne at 6 p.m. No. 6 Saint Louis plays No. 11 George Washington or No. 14 Fordham at 8:30 p.m.

Next game: The winner plays No. 1 seed Rhode Island at noon Friday in the quarterfinals.

About the Author