Dayton Flyers
Overall Rank: #21
Conference Rank: #1 Atlantic 10
Dayton Team Page
Dayton made a huge splash on the national scene in 2013-14 as the Flyers battled their way to a number six seed in the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately, their run in the NCAA Tournament was short lived as Dayton was upset by 11th seed Florida 83-69 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Fast forward into the 2014-2015 season and the Flyers will be a team on a mission looking to prove to the women’s college basketball world they are here to stay as an emerging power.
2013-14 Record: 23-8, 14-2
2013-14 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Jim Jabir
Coach Record: 210-133 at Dayton, 430-356 overall
Strengths:
The backcourt is going to continue to be the strength of this Dayton program. Senior guard Andrea Hoover sets the pace for the Flyers, averaging 17.3 points per game last season. Hoover is also the reigning player of the year in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Junior guard Amber Deane provides a great mix of sharp shooting and an ability to crash the boards that will take the pressure off of the post players. Sophomore guard Celeste Edwards is a defensive stalwart that gives opposing teams fits on a nightly basis. The frontcourt is anchored by senior forward Ally Mallott, who averaged just under a double-double last season, scoring 14.4 points and collecting 8.1 rebounds per game. In addition, this team is very efficient with sharing the basketball. Dayton had just under 17 assists per game and they were lethal at the foul line shooting over 76 percent.
Weaknesses:
The ball handling has to be better for the Flyers this season if they are too make a deeper run in the NCAA Tournament. Dayton turned the ball over an average of just over 17 times per game as a team last season. Scoring defense and limiting teams in regard to quality shots is another point of emphasis that needs to be addressed. Teams scored 73 points per game and made just under 40 percent of their shots from the floor. It is going to be critical for the Flyers to get those numbers under 70 points per game and closer to 35 percent shooting.
Final Projection:
The schedule starts with a very tricky opening road trip against an emerging Washington State team on November 14th and a battle for mid-major supremacy against Gonzaga on November 16th. A potential matchup on the road at Iowa on November 22nd will be a huge opportunity for another resume building road win. On December 7th, perennial power Purdue comes calling and the final test of the non-conference schedule will be on December 21st at Vanderbilt. In conference play there are three key swing type of games for Dayton. A trip to George Washington on February 8th will be a tough one as the Flyers were tripped up by the Colonials last year in conference play. St. Joseph’s visits on February 15th, and a battle with Fordham on February 18th. The ability to get results in these three games will go a long way towards Dayton being able to repeat as conference champions. Overall, the experience and depth of this Flyer team should be enough to make another run at a high seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA Tournament
Projected Starting Five:
Andrea Hoover, Senior, Guard, 17.3 points per game
Amber Deane, Junior, Guard, 13.2 points per game
Celeste Edwards, Sophomore, Guard, 9.6 points per game
Ally Malott, Senior, Forward, 14.4 points per game
Saicha Grant-Allen, sophomore, Center, 2.6 points per game
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 81.5 (13th in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 73.0 (290, 11)
Field-Goal Percentage: 44.9 (21, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 39.3 (120, 7)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.9 (113, 3)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 34.3 (96, 2)
Free-Throw Percentage: 76.4 (36, 1)
Rebound Margin: 4.3 (64, 3)
Assists Per Game: 16.9 (14, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 17.1 (253, 12)
Madness 2015 WNBA Draft Rankings:
#25 Ally Malott
#32 Andrea Hoover
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