Dayton Eyes Season Sweep Over George Mason

Jalen Crutcher’s career night helped Dayton upend George Mason on January 2 and the Flyers would love for their leading scorer to repeat the feat Friday night as the teams renew acquaintances at UD Arena. Crutcher’s then career-best 26 points were the difference as the Flyers (10-5 SU, 8-7 ATS) rallied for a 74-65 victory over the Patriots (8-7 SU, 4-9-1 ATS).

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

Dayton opened as a 6.5-point home favorite for Friday’s rematch, but that number has settled at -6 at the majority of sportsbooks. The total has also seen a slight drop, from 131.5 down to 131 in most spots.

George Mason News & Notes

Back-to-back wins over league doormat Saint Joseph’s had the Patriots riding high – but no amount of momentum could prepare them for a meeting with Atlantic 10 powerhouse St. Bonaventure, who routed George Mason 84-67 last time out. The Patriots allowed the Bonnies to shoot better than 61 percent from the field, falling behind by double digits just seven minutes in.

One of the Patriots’ biggest problems this season has been their struggles from the foul line, where they’re connecting at a dismal 61.4 percent clip, the eighth-worst mark in all of Division I. Fortunately for George Mason, its top three scorers (guards Jordan Miller, Tyler Kolek and Javon Greene) are all connecting at better than a 76 percent clip from the line this season.

Dayton News & Notes

It’s safe to say that Crutcher used that virtuoso performance against George Mason – he went 9-for-14 from the field with seven assists – as a catalyst for bigger and better things. He has scored 27 or more points in three of eight games since the win over the Patriots, including a 28-point performance last time out in a 69-64 setback at the hands of Duquesne.

Dayton will look to exploit the edge it has at the charity stripe, coming in as the No. 80 team in the country in foul-shot success rate at 73.6 percent (though the teams only attempted 11 free throws apiece in the first meeting). It will be interesting to see if the Flyers stick with a similarly stunted rotation in this one after using just seven players in the first encounter.

Betting Pick: OVER 131.5 (-110)

There’s enough offensive talent on either side to produce a repeat of the last encounter when the teams finished above the total, which was four points higher than the number for Friday’s rematch.