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Game 15 - George Washington (11-3) vs. Dayton (11-3)
Nuts & Bolts
Date: January 4, 2025
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Charles E. Smith Center - Washington, DC
How to Watch: USA Network
Matchup History: Dayton leads all-time series 16-10
Last Meeting: Dayton def. George Washington 83-61 on 1/30/24
Prediction: George Washington 67, Dayton 77
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Head Coach: Chris Caputo (3rd season, 42-36 record at George Washington)
Record: 11-3 (0-1, T-9th in Atlantic 10)
Last Time Out: Lost @ Richmond 66-61 on 12/31/24
Player to Watch: Darren Buchanan Jr.
A hot start for Chris Caputo’s George Washington Revolutionaries came to a halt in the conference opener, as the team fell to 0-1 in the A10 following a 66-61 defeat on the road to Richmond.
GW started the year 11-2, including an impressive performance at the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands in late November.
In the non-conference slate, the only losses were against Kansas State at the Paradise Jam and a heartbreaking overtime loss to American on the road in a game GW had won but fumbled away.
The conference opening loss to Richmond on New Year’s Eve is an all too familiar reminder of just how different A10 conference play can be.
Last year, the Revs also went 11-2 in non-conference play before losing a triple OT thriller in the conference opener to Fordham.
Fast forward to two months later, GW finishes the A10 regular season in dead last after going 4-14 against conference opponents.
Caputo is a good coach and has a good team in Foggy Bottom, led by the stellar sophomore Darren Buchanan, who was quiet in the loss to Richmond on Tuesday.
Another 11-2 start in the non-con is tremendous, BUT it absolutely cannot lead to another disheartening season in conference play.
GW is 8-0 at home this year; they need to protect home court in the conference home opener against a very good opponent in Dayton and prove they’re still on track.
Head Coach: Anthony Grant (8th season, 160-75 record at Dayton)
Record: 11-3 (1-0, T-1st in Atlantic 10)
Last Time Out: Won vs. La Salle 84-70 on 11/16/24
Player to Watch: Nate Santos
Dayton Head Coach Anthony Grant has led his Flyers to at least 12 conference wins in each of the past three seasons, consistently finishing near or at the top of the Atlantic 10 Conference.
Last year, he took the team to his first ever NCAA Tournament, finishing 25-8 overall and earning a 7 seed in the Dance, taking down the 10 seed Nevada before bowing out in the Round of 32 to Arizona, 78-68.
I have to mention it whenever I have a chance to write about the Dayton Flyers: there was no program hurt more by the canceled NCAA Tournament in 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
In 2019-20, Dayton was 29-2, including a perfect 18-0 in the Atlantic 10. Led by NBA Draft Lottery Pick, Obi Toppin, the Flyers were sure to be a 1 seed in the tournament and had the best chance in program history to win a national championship.
Of course, it was not to be.
Now, five years later, the program finally feels like it has recovered after a 14-10 record in 2020-21.
Grant has led Dayton to three straight seasons of at least 22 wins and has his team off to an 11-3 start in 2024-25, same as its Saturday opponent in George Washington.
The Flyers went 10-3 against a much tougher non-conference slate. Dayton took losses from #12 North Carolina and #5 Iowa State at the Maui Invitational by a total of 7 points.
Then, in its final non-conference game, lost to #19 Cincinnati by 7 on a neutral floor (which was in Cincinnati).
It hasn’t been just close losses though; Dayton has signature wins over #2 UConn, #6 Marquette, and Northwestern.
In the conference opener, it was a 84-70 win over La Salle on New Year’s Eve in a game Dayton led by 15 at the half.
Based on what I see on paper, Dayton is the best team George Washington has played this season. It’s going to take a huge effort across the board from Chris Caputo’s squad to slow down the Flyers.
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