Dayton is at least 58 spots better than everybody else in the Atlantic 10, according to the NET. The Flyers are the only A-10 school likely to make the 2024 NCAA Tournament, according to CBS Sports Bracketology Expert Jerry Palm. They are, quite clearly, the class of the league.
Regardless, Dayton is no longer alone atop the A-10, not after Friday's 49-47 loss at VCU. Instead, the Flyers are now one game back of Richmond in the loss column of the league standings with just seven games remaining, bringing into doubt whether they'll actually win the outright conference championship most have assumed they would get since a 13-game winning streak stretched across parts of three months pushed Anthony Grant's program to a 16-2 start in this season.
Dayton is only 3-2 since then.
"Wasn't a great night for our team," Grant said following the close loss at VCU in which his Flyers shot just 36.2% from the field. "And you've got to give VCU credit. They had a lot to do with that."
Dayton is down to No. 13 in Saturday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Purdue remains No. 1 for the 30th consecutive day. The good news for the Flyers is that Friday's game at VCU represented the final time they'll play on the road against a top-75 team in the NET, point being Dayton should be a favorite in every remaining A-10 game. That's why KenPom.com is still projecting the Flyers to win the outright league championship, but the conference race has clearly become closer than most anticipated it would be as recently as two weeks ago.
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Saturday's Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Zach Edey finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds in Sunday's 75-69 win at Wisconsin. The Boilermakers' next game is Saturday against Indiana. | -- | 34-5 |
| 2 |  | Cam Spencer finished with 20 points and four rebounds in Tuesday's 71-62 win over Butler. The Huskies' next game is Saturday at Georgetown. | -- | 37-3 |
| 3 |  | Jamal Shead finished with 23 points and four assists in Tuesday's 79-63 win over Oklahoma State. The Cougars' next game is Saturday at Cincinnati. | -- | 32-5 |
| 4 |  | Dalton Knecht finished with 27 points and six assists in Wednesday's 88-68 win over LSU. The Vols' next game is Saturday at Texas A&M. | -- | 27-9 |
| 5 |  | Kam Jones finished with 31 points and two steals in Saturday's 91-57 win at Georgetown. The Golden Eagles' next game is Saturday against St. John's. | -- | 27-10 |
| 6 |  | RJ Davis was 7 of 22 from the field in Tuesday's 80-76 loss to Clemson. The Tar Heels' next game is Saturday at Miami. | -- | 29-8 |
| 7 |  | Pelle Larson finished with 27 points and eight assists in Thursday's 105-99 win at Utah. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday at Colorado. | -- | 27-9 |
| 8 |  | Kansas was 3 of 15 from 3-point range in Monday's 75-70 loss at Kansas State. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday against Baylor. | -- | 23-11 |
| 9 |  | RayJ Dennis finished with 21 points and four steals in Tuesday's 79-73 win over Texas Tech. The Bears' next game is Saturday at Kansas. | 1 | 24-11 |
| 10 |  | Jayln Williams finished with 26 points and six rebounds in Wednesday's 99-81 win over Alabama. The Tigers' next game is Saturday at Florida. | 1 | 27-8 |
| 11 |  | Tamin Lipsey finished with 12 points and five assists in Tuesday's 70-65 win at Texas. The Cyclones' next game is Saturday against TCU. | 1 | 29-8 |
| 12 |  | Collin Murray-Boyles finished with 16 points and nine rebounds in Tuesday's 68-65 win over Ole Miss. The Gamecocks' next game is Saturday against Vanderbilt. | 1 | 26-8 |
| 13 |  | Kobe Elvis was 0 o 6 from the field in Friday's 49-47 loss at VCU. The Flyers' next game is Tuesday against Duquesne. | 4 | 25-8 |
| 14 |  | Steven Crowl was 1 of 4 from the field in Wednesday's 72-68 loss at Michigan. The Badgers' next game is Saturday at Rutgers. | -- | 22-14 |
| 15 |  | Mark Mitchell finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds in Wednesday's 71-53 win over Notre Dame. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday against Boston College. | -- | 27-9 |
| 16 |  | Coleman Hawkins finished with 20 points and seven rebounds in Sunday's 87-84 win over Nebraska. The Illini's next game is Saturday at Michigan State. | -- | 29-9 |
| 17 |  | Nick Pringle was 1 of 7 from the field in Wednesday's 99-81 loss at Auburn. The Crimson Tide's next game is Saturday at LSU. | -- | 25-12 |
| 18 |  | Rashaan Mbemba finished with 13 points and three rebounds in Friday's 66-47 win over San Jose State. The Rams' next game is Tuesday at San Diego State. | -- | 25-11 |
| 19 |  | Javian McCollum finished with 20 points and two rebounds in Tuesday's 82-66 win over BYU. The Sooners' next game is Saturday against Oklahoma State. | 1 | 20-12 |
| 20 |  | Robbie Avila finished with 27 points and eight rebounds in Wednesday's 101-61 win over Valparaiso. The Sycamores' next game is Saturday at Missouri State. | 1 | 32-7 |
| 21 |  | Donovan Dent finished with 19 points and seven assists in Tuesday's 91-73 win at Wyoming. The Lobos' next game is Saturday against UNLV. | 1 | 26-10 |
| 22 |  | Micah Parrish was 2 of 11 from the field in Friday's 70-66 loss at Nevada. The Aztecs' next game is Tuesday against Colorado State. | 3 | 26-11 |
| 23 |  | Richie Saunders was 1 of 8 from the field in Tuesday's 82-66 loss at Oklahoma. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against Kansas State. | -- | 23-11 |
| 24 |  | Alex Ducas finished with 18 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 84-43 win at Pacific. The Gaels' next game is Saturday at Portland. | -- | 26-8 |
| 25 |  | Reece Beekman finished with 16 points and seven assists in Monday's 60-38 win over Miami. The Cavaliers' next game is Saturday at Florida State. | -- | 23-11 |
| 26 |  | PJ Hall finished with 25 points and nine rebounds in Tuesday's 80-76 win at North Carolina. The Tigers' next game is Saturday at Syracuse. | -- | 24-12 |
