Here’s the previous teams we ranked in this series:

47. St Mary’s Gaels

48. Washington Huskies

49. UCF Knights

50. Louisville Cardinals

51. Boise State Broncos

52. Clemson Tigers

53. New Mexico Lobos

54. Arizona State Sun Devils

55. Utah State Aggies

56. Colorado State Rams

57. Seton Hall Pirates

58. SMU Mustangs

59. South Carolina Gamecocks

60. Nevada Wolfpack

61. TCU Horned Frogs

62. Villanova Wildcats

63. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

64. Saint Louis Billikens

65. Syracuse Orange

66. Nebraska Cornhuskers

67. Pittsburgh Panthers

68. Iowa Hawkeyes

69. NC State Wolfpack

70. Butler Bulldogs

71. Princeton Tigers

72. Virginia Cavaliers

73. Saint Joseph’s Hawks

74. Oklahoma Sooners

75. West Virginia Mountaineers

76. Georgia Bulldogs

77. UAB Blazers

78: Wisconsin Badgers

79. San Diego State Aztecs

80. Missouri Tigers

81. Northwestern Wildcats

82. Loyola Chicago Ramblers

Welcome back to another edition of our 82 in 72 countdown! We are well into our top 50 and are now taking a look at one of the favorites in the Atlantic 10 conference this season, the Dayton Flyers, who are looking for their first back to back NCAA tournament appearance under Anthony Grant in 2024-2025!

Steven	Maxwell	Kam	Cody
56	58	31	56

The Flyers appeared in the dance last season for the first time since 2017(If there were a tournament held in 2020, the Flyers would have likely been a top three seed)and enter 2024-2025 losing a handful of key pieces from last season, none more notable than DaRon Holmes II…Our crew has them safely as a top 64-team in the country heading into ‘24-25, and the Flyers have a roster that is more than capable of winning the A10, and two significant factors to achieve that(as well as offset the loss of DaRon Holmes II)are Nate Santos and Zed Key.

Nate Santos started in all 33 games alongside Holmes II last season, and no returning player will be counted upon more for a jump in production than Santos. A versatile wing with an intriguing physical build, Santos shot just under 42% from behind the arc last season. Santos should get a true taste of being Dayton’s primary option this season. He should be aided on both ends by Zed Key, a true college basketball veteran. Zed Key(starting to get into the Perry Ellis territory; I say this out of love if you know, you know…)was a phenomenal snag out of Ohio State for Anthony Grant, and Key should immediately slot in as the Flyers starting big this season…Imagine this Anthony Grant offense with the screening ability of Zed Key…beauty!

The Zed Key screens need more than just Nate Santos to play off of, and the Flyers will have just that entering the 2024-2025 season; it all starts with Posh Alexander. The steal-king, Alexander, has led the Big East the last four seasons(last season at Butler, three at St. Johns)in steals and will initiate offense and point-of-attack defense this season for the Flyers. Posh Alexander is the perfect blend of aggressive and calculated and should make for a nice fit alongside Malachi Smith, who will make his return for the Flyers to open the season. I love Malachi Smith, and if you are a Dayton fan, I cannot imagine the desire you hold to see Smith succeed and stay healthy this season. Smith has had a collegiate career that has shown NBA talent when healthy but has been marred by injuries. Alexander and Smith, when healthy, is the best 1-2 backcourt punch in the Atlantic 10.

Anthony Grant returns two additional pieces in the backcourt from last season that I expect to make improvements in production: Enoch Cheeks and Javon Bennett. Cheeks started for the Flyers last season and should again start on the wing alongside Alexander and Smith. Enoch Cheeks is my type of player, a grinder; Cheeks was second on the team in blocks last season and first in steals while also being third in rebounding at only 6 ‘3. Enoch plays with a high motor and is another high-level point-of-attack defender at Anthony Grant’s disposal. The Flyers backcourt of Alexander-Smith-Cheeks is one of the top defensive backcourts in the country when healthy. Javon Bennett must be mentioned as well; Bennett led the A10 in assist-to-turnover ratio last season and will likely slide in as the sixth man for the Flyers this season(but it wouldn’t surprise me if he nudged another guard out of the starting lineup).

I am pretty enthusiastic about the top of the Dayton roster, but what gets me the most excited about Flyers basketball this upcoming season is their incoming freshmen. Hamad Mousa is a tantalizing prospect entering the college game and is a player that I am sure many NBA front offices are also looking at. Mousa, who is originally from Qatar, has had impressive showings at the NBA Academy event during NBA all-star weekend and at the most recent Nike Hoop Summit. The raw physical tools Mousa possesses should immediately allow him minutes on the floor this season for Anthony Grant. Still, if Mousa can take the leap from a spotty creator to a consistent offensive option and become a more reliable shooter, he might only have one season in college basketball…Amael L’Etang may have more than one season of college basketball in store for him in his collegiate career. Still, coming over from French pro team Cholet after averaging a double-double last season, L’Etang will immediately bring a versatile skill set offensively, already displaying plus passing and rebounding ability and ensuring size on the defensive end at 7’1. The most significant variable for both freshmen will be adapting to the college-style game. Still, with both having played in similar-level competition in the past, I expect both to be rotational pieces for the Flyers this season.

This Flyers team can certainly win the Atlantic 10 in 2024-2025. They have experience, defensive prowess, impactful freshmen, and, most importantly, a coach who is one of the best in the country. I am in on the Flyers this season and expect the Flyers to climb my rankings as we near tip-off!