The Dayton Flyers (16-4, 6-2) look to overcome a difficult loss to Xavier when they face the Duquesne University Dukes (8-12, 3-6) on Sunday at UD Arena.
While fans may find the loss on Wednesday hard to swallow, the Flyers probably exceeded most expectations by taking the Muskies to overtime at the Gardens before succumbing 65-64. The loss, if nothing else, should instill the notion that Dayton can compete in any A-10 venue this season. An important lesson to learn is that the Flyers must compete for 40 minutes on the road rather than relying on late-game heroics to steal a victory from the jaws of defeat.

No doubt, they will be eager to redirect the ship as the Dukes come calling. Duquesne is in the midst of a five-game losing streak. They have all of four February wins in the past four years.

This young Duquesne squad is fairly one-dimensional, reminiscent of the Chicago Bulls of the late 80s. Sophomore star Wayne Smith leads the team points, rebounds, steals, blocks, and is second in assists. However, Michael Jordan he’s not.

But much like the Bulls, teams have decided to either focus on Smith or the rest of the team. Apparently, Duquesne’s opponents are going with the latter philosophy. The Dukes have not had more than two players in double figures over the course of their current losing streak. Smith has averaged 17.2ppg in that span. The Flyers should continue to have a decisive advantage down low. Duquesne doesn’t start a true center, as forwards Wayne Smith and Devone Stephenson both top out at 6-7. Dayton’s Mark Ashman averaged over 20ppg against the Dukes last year. And with the emergence of power forward Yuanta Holland, UD’s inside game should alleviate some of the defensive pressure on the perimeter.

The Dukes will rely on Smith for a majority of their offense but can count on guard Courtney Wallace for 12ppg and 5rpg. Wallace will match up with Tony Stanley — who’s coming off a strong performance in Cincinnati.

At the other end, Dayton’s perimeter defense looks to contain Duquesne’s Wayne Smith and guard Shawn Tann. Together they’ve launched over 200 3-pointers. Both are shooting over 35% from long-range.

The Flyers are converting an outstanding 38% of their shots from behind the arc. The rotation of point guards David Morris and Edwin Young has opened up the scoring at that position. With floor-general duties spread amongst the two, offensive opportunities have increased. After having three days to reflect on Wednesday’s last-second defeat to the Xavier Musketeers, the Flyers should be in a foul mood on Sunday. Duquesne doesn’t have the luxury of marking one man versus four average players. Dayton deploys five outstanding starters, with an inside-out attack that spreads defenses thin.

If the Dukes neglect Ashman and Holland, look for domination on the boards and easy stick-backs. Conversely, to much emphasis on Dayton’s interior players will lead to perimeter looks, not by one or two, but by four capable UD shooters.While Duquesne hopes to halt a five-game losing skid, the Flyers must use Sunday’s game as a momentum builder midway through conference play. Sunday’s match-up can be seen on the Atlantic-10 Network via Fox Sports Ohio. Tip-off set for 2:00EST.