Dayton is red-hot, winners of four straight, but will face a tough road challenge on Saturday when they travel to George Mason.
The Patriots, evident of their .500 record, have shown a high propensity to be inconsistent this season. They started out 4-0 with a nice win at 20th ranked Maryland and later defeated Georgia in Athens. They’ve lost some tough games as well with the George Washington loss leaving you scratching your head.
They were without leading scorer Josh Oduro (17.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg), who missed with a back/lower leg injury. If he’s able to go on Saturday, his 59% shooting from the floor would challenge Dayton’s defensive frontcourt that has been thriving during its current win streak.
Like St. Bonaventure, George Mason plays their starters a heavy dose of minutes. Their five starters average 27.5 minutes or more.
D’Shawn Schwartz is the team’s second leading scorer at 15.5 points a night and 5.0 rebounds. He’s shooting 35.4% from three-point range and has the most attempts from the perimeter on the team. In Oduro’s absence, he tried to carry GMU with a 27-point outburst.
DeVon Cooper (13.0 ppg, 2.1 rpg) has started all 14 games this season and is averaging 31.4 minutes a night. He has reached double figures in 12 of the 14 games and has knocked down at least three triples in a single game nine times this season.
6-7 Davonte Gaines is a long wing that has shown the ability to knock it down from deep. He’s averaging 11.1 points and 8.3 rebounds, shooting a team-best 48.8% from three. He knocked down 4-6 from the arc and scored a season-high 19 points against James Madison.
Xavier Johnson has started 10 games, averaging 6.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and has a team-high 53 assists for the season. He scored six points, dished out nine assists, and grabbed seven rebounds in their win against the George Bulldogs.
Reserves that see time off the bench include Jamal Hartwell II (4.6 ppg, 30% 3PT), Ronald Polite III (4.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg), Malik Henry (2.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg), Otis Frazier III (2.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg), and Blake Jones (1.3 ppg, 1.6 rpg).
Mason out-rebounds their opponents 34.9 to 30.6, so the glass will be an emphasis for the Flyers. Their 35.9% three-point shooting as a team is definitely a threat to a Dayton victory as the Patriots can get hot.
The Patriots are averaging 72.6 points and giving up just 67. They failed to reach the 70-point mark in four of their seven losses.
Dayton has shown energy, focus, and discipline during this current streak. They cannot afford to slip up against George Mason if they want to keep pace for an even hotter Davidson team that they're currently looking up at.
Saturday’s game will tip at 7:00 p.m. from EagleBank Arena and will be televised on MASN and streamed on ESPN+.
