Dayton at Rhode Island: What you need to know about Saturday’s game

Rams swept Flyers last season on way to regular-season title

Who: Dayton (15-8, 7-3) at Rhode Island (12-10, 5-5)

When: 4 p.m., Saturday

Where: Ryan Center, Kingston, R.I.

TV/Radio: CBS Sports Network/AM 1290 and News 95.7 WHIO

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Probable Dayton starters

Josh Cunningham, 6-8, R-Sr., 14.1

Obi Toppin, 6-9, R-Fr., F, 13.3

Jalen Crutcher, 6-1, So., G, 13.0

Jordan Davis, 6-2, So., G, 10.1

Ryan Mikesell, 6-7, R-Jr., F, 9.3

Probable Rhode Island starters

Jeff Dowtin, 6-3, Jr., G, 16.0

Cyril Langevine, 6-8, Jr., F, 14.0

Fatts Russell, 5-10, So., G, 13.8

Tyrese Martin, 6-6, Fr., G, 8.6

Jermaine Harris, 6-8, Fr., F, 4.6

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Series history: Dayton leads 18-16. Rhode Island beat Dayton twice last season: 88-74 at UD Arena and 81-56 at the Ryan Center. Dayton is 4-7 at the Ryan Center.

Coaches: Anthony Grant is 29-25 in his second season at Dayton. David Cox is 12-10 in his first season at Rhode Island.

Last game: Dayton lost 73-60 at Saint Louis on Tuesday. Rhode Island lost 68-53 at Davidson on Wednesday.

About Dayton: Dayton has a 47 percent chance of winning this game, according to KenPom.com, which predicts a 70-69 score. … Toppin moved into the starting lineup in the last game in the place of Trey Landers, who averages 9.5 points per game. Dayton started the same lineup in the previous 15 games. … Since making 15 of 23 3-pointers in a three-game span, Davis has made 7 of 28 (25 percent) in the last six games. He's shooting 33.3 percent (38 of 114) this season. Crutcher shot 28.6 percent from 3-point range in January after shooting 41.0 percent in November and 46.3 percent in December. He's shooting 37.1 percent (53 of 143).

RELATED: Three things advanced stats tell us about Flyers

About Rhode Island: The Rams rank 128th in the Ken Pomeroy ratings and 120th in the NCAA Evaluation Tool. Dayton ranks 72nd and 96th. … Rhode Island played in the Basketball Hall of Fame Holiday Showcase in the game before Dayton played Tulsa on Dec. 16 and beat West Virginia 83-70. … Langevine leads the Atlantic 10 in rebounding (9.9 per game). … In A-10 play, Rhode Island ranks fifth in scoring offense (68.2) and eighth in scoring defense (68.0). Dayton ranks first in offense (71.7) and seventh in defense (66.3). … Freshman guard Omar Silverio, who Dayton recruited, is averaging 1.7 points in 20 games. … Freshman forward Dana Tate had eight points and nine rebounds against Davidson.

Looking ahead: Dayton plays Virginia Commonwealth (16-6, 7-2) at 4 p.m. Feb. 16 at UD Arena. TV: NBC Sports Network.

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