Duquesne senior guard Eric Evans knows what a handful Dayton's Kevin Dillard can be to guard.
He faced him for three years in AAU basketball in Detroit and has seen on tape how far his game has evolved.
The Dukes (12-9, 3-4 Atlantic 10 Conference) face the Flyers tonight in a daunting road test that marks the halfway point in the league schedule.
"I've been playing against him since I was 15 years old," said Evans. "He can shoot and pass. He's a guy who can score. We contain him, I think we can do a good job."
Dillard might be the breakout point guard this season in the A-10.
He's the league's assist leader (6.2 per game, ranked 16th in the country), and is coming off a 13-assist performance in a loss against Rhode Island.
"He physically changes the game with his speed, the way he passes the ball," said coach Ron Everhart. "On top of that, he's a great shooter. You start putting point-guard packages together, I don't know if you could put together a better one."
Dillard, of course, is not the only piece of the puzzle for Dayton (14-7, 4-3).
Dayton has the sixth-ranked scoring offense (71.9), second-ranked free-throw percentage (.753) and third-best rebounding margin (+3.3).
"They're one of those teams that are really well built," said Everhart. "You look at their team, they can play big, they can play small. They can beat anybody. They're not an underdog to anyone in the country in their gym."
The Flyers' record, however, is perplexing.
They have knocked off Saint Louis (79-72 in overtime), La Salle (79-75) and Xavier (87-72), but are on a two-game slide with losses to Saint Joseph's followed by Rhode Island at home Saturday.
Dayton coach Archie Miller, a former Blackhawk High School star, said earlier this week that his team's defensive intensity has been to blame.
"I would say [in] the last three halves of basketball that we've played we've totally lost the edge about what we had going for us in some of our big wins," he said. "I don't think we had any bounce at all on the defensive side of the ball. After watching the film, there's some key things we can correct."
The Dukes are also on a two-game slide with losses to Saint Louis on the road and a close one Saturday to La Salle at Palumbo Center.
"Luckily, everybody's been beating everybody, so we're still in the race right now," said Evans.
Everhart said the team has tried not to dwell on the last-minute loss to La Salle.
"We're a young team, and that happens to young teams," he said.
"When it happens, you've got to keep at it and get your kids to understand that every game is a great opportunity and make sure we walk out of the gym with no regrets and try to do the best we can to play with each other."
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NOTES -- Dayton will be the seventh A-10 team rated in the RPI top-100 that Duquesne will face this season. ... Dayton leads the series, 44-21, and has a 26-5 edge at home. ... The Dukes are 2-5 on the road this season and 1-2 in A-10 road games.
Duquesne: Coming off a 71-68 loss against La Salle. ... Is 2-5 on the road this year. ... Ranked No. 3 in nation in turnover margin (+5.8). ... Sean Johnson leads the team in scoring (15.5points per game). ... B.J. Monteiro averages a team-leading 5.3 rebounds per game.
Dayton: Point guard Kevin Dillard leads team in scoring (12.5 ppg). ... Has the highest-scoring offense in A-10 games (78.4ppg), but second-worst scoring defense (allowing 77.1). ... Forward Chris Johnson had a 13th career double-double against Rhode Island (20 points, 12 rebounds).
Hidden stat: Dayton owns seven victories against top-100 RPI opponents this season.
He faced him for three years in AAU basketball in Detroit and has seen on tape how far his game has evolved.
The Dukes (12-9, 3-4 Atlantic 10 Conference) face the Flyers tonight in a daunting road test that marks the halfway point in the league schedule.
"I've been playing against him since I was 15 years old," said Evans. "He can shoot and pass. He's a guy who can score. We contain him, I think we can do a good job."
Dillard might be the breakout point guard this season in the A-10.
He's the league's assist leader (6.2 per game, ranked 16th in the country), and is coming off a 13-assist performance in a loss against Rhode Island.
"He physically changes the game with his speed, the way he passes the ball," said coach Ron Everhart. "On top of that, he's a great shooter. You start putting point-guard packages together, I don't know if you could put together a better one."
Dillard, of course, is not the only piece of the puzzle for Dayton (14-7, 4-3).
Dayton has the sixth-ranked scoring offense (71.9), second-ranked free-throw percentage (.753) and third-best rebounding margin (+3.3).
"They're one of those teams that are really well built," said Everhart. "You look at their team, they can play big, they can play small. They can beat anybody. They're not an underdog to anyone in the country in their gym."
The Flyers' record, however, is perplexing.
They have knocked off Saint Louis (79-72 in overtime), La Salle (79-75) and Xavier (87-72), but are on a two-game slide with losses to Saint Joseph's followed by Rhode Island at home Saturday.
Dayton coach Archie Miller, a former Blackhawk High School star, said earlier this week that his team's defensive intensity has been to blame.
"I would say [in] the last three halves of basketball that we've played we've totally lost the edge about what we had going for us in some of our big wins," he said. "I don't think we had any bounce at all on the defensive side of the ball. After watching the film, there's some key things we can correct."
The Dukes are also on a two-game slide with losses to Saint Louis on the road and a close one Saturday to La Salle at Palumbo Center.
"Luckily, everybody's been beating everybody, so we're still in the race right now," said Evans.
Everhart said the team has tried not to dwell on the last-minute loss to La Salle.
"We're a young team, and that happens to young teams," he said.
"When it happens, you've got to keep at it and get your kids to understand that every game is a great opportunity and make sure we walk out of the gym with no regrets and try to do the best we can to play with each other."
?
NOTES -- Dayton will be the seventh A-10 team rated in the RPI top-100 that Duquesne will face this season. ... Dayton leads the series, 44-21, and has a 26-5 edge at home. ... The Dukes are 2-5 on the road this season and 1-2 in A-10 road games.
Duquesne: Coming off a 71-68 loss against La Salle. ... Is 2-5 on the road this year. ... Ranked No. 3 in nation in turnover margin (+5.8). ... Sean Johnson leads the team in scoring (15.5points per game). ... B.J. Monteiro averages a team-leading 5.3 rebounds per game.
Dayton: Point guard Kevin Dillard leads team in scoring (12.5 ppg). ... Has the highest-scoring offense in A-10 games (78.4ppg), but second-worst scoring defense (allowing 77.1). ... Forward Chris Johnson had a 13th career double-double against Rhode Island (20 points, 12 rebounds).
Hidden stat: Dayton owns seven victories against top-100 RPI opponents this season.
