Dayton at Fordham: What to know about Wednesday’s game -Dayton Vs VCU Heavy Match Up

Flyers tied for fourth in A-10 with seven games to play

The Dayton Flyers held a 59-57 lead over Virginia Commonwealth with just under three minutes remaining on Friday when freshman forward Amaël L’Etang dribbled toward the sideline, stopped, and prepared to hand the ball off to Enoch Cheeks.

Hand-offs are a routine part of Dayton’s half-court offense, typically serving as a simple exchange. However, this time, VCU’s Max Shulga read the play perfectly, slipping between Cheeks and L’Etang to deflect the ball forward and sprint for a game-tying layup.

The turnover happened right in front of Dayton coach Anthony Grant, who had a water bottle in hand. Frustrated by the play, Grant dropped his head and flipped the bottle onto the court—not as a playful trick, but out of sheer disappointment. VCU guard Zeb Jackson quickly retrieved the bottle and tossed it aside. The officials either missed the moment or chose to ignore it, as it had no impact on play. However, the sequence underscored how quickly momentum had shifted against the Flyers.

On the ensuing in-bounds pass, Javon Bennett received the ball from Cheeks but found himself drifting toward the baseline. Rather than stepping out of bounds, he attempted a desperation pass toward the Dayton side of the court, which VCU’s Jack Clark intercepted. Clark then passed to Jackson, who was fouled by Bennett on a shot attempt with 2:37 left. Jackson made both free throws, giving VCU a 61-59 lead.

Dayton committed turnovers on its next two possessions, ultimately leading to a 73-68 loss at UD Arena.

“The great thing about this sport is that we have another chance to play on Wednesday,” Grant said to Larry Hansgen on Monday during WHIO’s Flyer Insider. “When you win, some people act like you’ll never lose again, and when you lose, others think you’ll never win again. The reality is, we just have to focus on preparation. Our next game presents a strong opportunity in a challenging setting. Fordham is playing at a high level.”

Dayton (16-8, 6-5) faces Fordham (11-12, 3-7) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Rose Hill Gym in the Bronx, N.Y. Here are 10 key points about the matchup:

1. Series History: Dayton holds a commanding 36-6 advantage in the all-time series. The Flyers have won four straight against Fordham since suffering a 55-54 loss at Rose Hill Gym in 2021. Before that, Dayton had won 16 consecutive meetings dating back to a 2006 defeat at Fordham.

Dayton secured a 78-70 victory at UD Arena last season and dominated 82-58 in its last visit to Fordham two years ago. DaRon Holmes II totaled 61 points across those two games.

2. Program Status: Fordham had a strong 25-win season in head coach Keith Urgo’s debut campaign, but last year, the team finished 13-20 overall and 6-12 in Atlantic 10 play. Now in its 30th season in the A-10, Fordham has yet to win a regular-season title or conference tournament. The program’s last NCAA Tournament appearance came in 1992.

3. Season Recap: Fordham started A-10 play with six straight losses but has since won three of its last four, securing victories over Duquesne, La Salle, and Rhode Island.

Their last game was an 80-79 home win against Rhode Island last Wednesday. Fordham trailed 79-75 in the final 20 seconds but rallied, winning on a last-second basket by forward Matt Zona with 2.3 seconds left.

4. Conference Standings: George Mason (19-5, 10-1) leads the A-10 by one game over VCU (19-5, 9-2) with seven games remaining. Saint Louis (14-10, 7-4) holds third place, while Dayton and UMass (11-13, 6-5) are tied for fourth. Fordham sits in 14th place, just ahead of last-place Richmond (8-16, 3-8).
5. Bronx Homecoming: Dayton guards Malachi Smith and Posh Alexander both hail from the Bronx.
   • Smith will play at Rose Hill for the first time in his college career after missing the 2023 game due to injury.
   • Alexander previously scored 23 points against Fordham in 2021 while playing for St. John’s.
6. Weekly Recognition: Freshman forward Amaël L’Etang was named A-10 Rookie of the Week for the third time after averaging 8.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in games against Davidson and VCU.
7. Top Returning Player: Graduate guard Japhet Medor, who ranked third in scoring (9.8 PPG) for Fordham last season, has increased his production to 12.9 PPG this year, ranking second on the team.
8. Key Newcomer: Senior guard Jackie Johnson III leads Fordham in scoring with 18.7 PPG. He began his career at Duquesne before transferring to UNLV for two seasons.
9. Statistical Comparisons:
   • Fordham ranks third in A-10 free-throw percentage (76.5%), just ahead of Dayton (76.4%, fourth).
   • In effective field-goal percentage, Fordham ranks 12th out of 15 A-10 teams (48.8%), while Dayton is seventh (50.4%).
10. Odds & Rankings:

• KenPom.com projects Dayton as a 73% favorite, predicting a 79-72 final score. The Flyers dropped from No. 75 to No. 77 in KenPom following the VCU loss, while Fordham is ranked No. 206.
• Dayton is 76th in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET), ranking third in the A-10 behind No. 36 VCU and No. 63 George Mason. Fordham is 214th.
• This game is classified as a Quadrant 3 matchup for both teams. Dayton is 2-2 in Quad 1 games, 2-5 in Quad 2, 5-1 in Quad 3, and 6-0 in Quad 4. Fordham is 0-2 in Quad 1, 0-4 in Quad 2, 4-3 in Quad 3, and 6-3 in Quad 4.

Wednesday’s Game:

Matchup: Dayton at Fordham
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Broadcast: ESPN+, 95.7 FM, 1290 AM