Men’s Basketball Update: Fast Auburn Offense Will Challenge Flyers

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Michael Crouchley
Staff Writer

The Dayton Flyers bounced back from a disappointing weekend in Charleston to beat Akron 73-60 on Saturday night. But the Flyers will need to move on from that win and look towards Wednesday night when they take on what’s likely to be their toughest opponent of the year, the Auburn Tigers.

The thing that immediately jumps off the screen for the Tigers is their offensive output.

“You can tell just by the numbers that they play fast,” commented Flyers head coach Anthony Grant; and Grant isn’t exaggerating. The Flyers’ defense will have their work cut out for them trying to slow down an Auburn team that’s averaging over 93 points per game, compared to the Flyers’ 73 points per game.

“I’ve been really impressed with what I’ve seen from them so far,” Grant added.
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Junior forward Xeyrius Williams and sophomore guard Trey Landers both missed the Akron game with injuries. Grant listed the status of both as “day-to-day.” Williams and Landers are both normal starters for the team and two of Dayton’s scarce veterans.

These two veterans being out has made it more of a necessity for some of the freshman to step up. Kostas Antetokounmpo, Matej Svoboda, Jalen Crutcher and Jordan Davis have all had to take on increased roles.

“I was proud of the freshmen,” Grant said. “The way they’ve been able to come in and play. Hopefully the experience their getting this early in the season will pay dividends.”

Even with two possible veteran absences, the Flyers are confident coming off of the big win over Akron.

“If we play defense like that, we’ll win every game,” commented Crutcher.

The Flyers take on the Auburn Tigers tomorrow night at 7 p.m. at UD Arena.

Photo Courtesy of Griffin Quinn/Staff Photographer