Preview: Dayton Faces Saint Louis in A-10 Showdown

PITTSBURGH (Interstat) — A potential Atlantic 10 tournament championship preview unfolds Saturday when the Dayton Flyers meet the eighth-ranked Saint Louis Billikens at 84 Lumber Arena.

The conference heavyweights, seeded second and first respectively, split their regular-season series decisively on each other’s home floors. Saint Louis (28-4) routed Dayton 102-71 on Jan. 30, but the Flyers (22-9) answered with a 77-62 victory on Feb. 24.

This neutral-site clash carries significant NCAA tournament seeding implications. Saint Louis, a projected high seed, aims to solidify its resume, while Dayton seeks a quadrant-one win to bolster its case.

The matchup features two of the league’s premier players. Dayton guard Javon Bennett enters on a torrid streak, averaging 21.6 points over his last five games. He scored 27 in Friday’s 68-63 win over Saint Bonaventure and had 17 in the February win over Saint Louis.

Saint Louis counters with versatile center Robbie Avila, who is coming off a 22-point, 4-assist performance in an 88-81 win over George Washington. Avila was limited to 10 points in the loss at Dayton.

The Billikens, favored by 5.5 points, boast the A-10’s top offense, averaging 84.2 points per game. Dayton relies on a stout defense, allowing just 66.3 points, which will be tested by Saint Louis’s balanced attack featuring Avila, guard Trey Green and forward Kellen Thames.

Dayton has won seven of its last nine, while Saint Louis has won 10 of 12, though its 86-57 loss at George Mason on March 7 remains a recent anomaly.

The over/under is set at 146 points. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. EDT Saturday, March 14, with the winner advancing to Sunday’s A-10 tournament final.