Davidson vs. Dayton Prediction, Odds for College Basketball on Sunday, Feb. 15

Both the Davidson Wildcats and Dayton Flyers find themselves in the middle of the A-10 standings heading into Sunday’s afternoon matchup at UD Arena.

The Flyers are favored at home – where they are 11-2 this season – against a Davidson team that has won back-to-back games and is an impressive 5-2 straight up on the road.

The Wildcats are led by a three-guard trio featuring Roberts Blums, Parker Friedrichsen and Josh Scovens.

Dayton is coming off a blowout loss to VCU and has dropped five of its last six games to fall to 15-9 this season. With the Flyers’ NCAA Tournament hopes likely done (unless they win the A-10 Tournament), do they deserve to be two-possession favorites on Sunday?

Let’s take a look at the odds, a key player to watch and my prediction for this A-10 battle.

Davidson vs. Dayton Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

Davidson +4.5 (-112)
Dayton -4.5 (-108)

Moneyline

Davidson: +164
Dayton: -198

Total

139.5 (Over -112/Under -108)

Davidson vs. Dayton How to Watch

Date: Sunday, Feb. 15
Time: 4:00 p.m. EST
Venue: UD Arena
How to Watch (TV): ESPN2
Davidson record: 15-9
Dayton record: 15-9

Davidson vs. Dayton Key Player to Watch

Javon Bennett, Guard, Dayton

Senior guard Javon Bennett is the driving force for this Flyers team, averaging 16.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.

Still, he’s struggled shooting the ball, knocking down just 37.2 percent of his shots from the field and 31.5 percent of his 3-point attempts. Both of those numbers are way down from last season, when he shot over 43 percent from the field and an impressive 39.0 percent from 3.

If Dayton wants to avoid another loss in A-10 play, it needs Bennett to score the ball at an efficient rate against this Davidson team that is just 109th in the country in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency.

Davidson vs. Dayton Prediction and Pick

Dayton has suffered two really bad losses to Saint Louis and VCU over its last three games, and it enters this game at No. 96 in KenPom’s latest rankings.

While the Flyers are considered to be one of the better defensive teams in the country (53rd in adjusted defensive efficiency), they have struggled shooting the ball all season long.

Dayton is just 179th in the country in effective field goal percentage and is shooting just 32.8 percent from beyond the arc. For comparison, Davidson is shooting 37.9 percent from 3 (28th in the country) and is 69th in effective field goal percentage.

The Wildcats have struggled against some of the better teams in the A-10, losing to Saint Louis by nine, George Mason by eight and VCU by six over their last six games. However, Davidson has been elite against the spread on the road, going 5-2 this season (winning five of those games outright).

The Flyers, on the other hand, are just 5-8 against the spread at home despite an 11-2 record.

I think Davidson’s shooting will keep it in this game, and it may be live to pull off an upset against a struggling Dayton team.

Pick: Davidson +4.5 (-112 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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