The Dayton Flyers, winners of two in a row after a tough loss to the Temple Owls, travel to Pittsburgh Thursday night to take care of business against the Duquesne Dukes. The business at hand is winning the A-10 West outright, something the Flyers have yet to accomplish since their entry into the A-10 Conference.

Two seasons ago, Dayton shared the A-10 West title with Xavier and GW, but it’s going to take complete ownership to get another Columbia blue banner tied to the rafters of the UD Arena. More than just a 21st win on the season, a win at Duquesne practically locks in an NCAA bid and adorns the Flyer Faithful with A-10 West bragging rights for the first time ever. Nobody wants to share anything. It’s time to go for the jugular. Duquesne has been like a hotel shower all season – sometimes hot and sometimes cold. The Dukes have run the gamut from completely awful to extremely dangerous. While their record is nothing to brag about, Darrell Porter’s club notched wins over West Virginia, Xavier, a road win at Geo. Washington, and a 20pt blowout of talented Virginia Tech in their last outing – after dropping 10 straight. Duquesne struggles on the road but thrives at home, dropping a tough one to UMass earlier in the year at the Palumbo Center. The Dukes led throughout but faded at the end. The Flyers are hoping the Dukes fade away completely.

Every Duquesne scouting report starts with sophomore Wayne Smith, the 6-7 wingman who can could play all five positions if pressed into duty. Smith has a big frame but is very mobile and likes to do most of his business from the perimeter. The Canadian averages 17.8ppg and 7.5 rebounds – both tops on the team. In fact, Smith also leads the team in steals, blocks, three pointers, minutes, free throws, and is second in assists. In the last meeting with Dayton (a 93-77 loss), Smith suffered a career-low five points and looked uninterested. Don’t expect a repeat performance.

While Smith plays forward, Duquesne is guard-oriented. Of the 15 players on the roster, 11 are guards. Because is this, Porter is forced to play a three guard lineup almost exclusively – and it doesn’t change when he goes to the bench. In the backcourt, 6-0, 175lb frosh Devin Montgomery runs the show and, by all accounts, deserves consideration on the A-10 All Newcomer Team. Montgomery averages 7.7ppg, 3.2rpg, and has dished out a team-high 97 assists with 67 turnovers. He’s a jet-quick guard who thrives in Duquesne’s up-tempo style and has the tools to be the next Tom Pipkins.

Alongside Montgomery is 6-4 Courtney Wallace. The junior from Pittsburgh’s Perry Traditional Academy averages 13.1ppg and 4.6rpg, both stats good enough for second-best and third-best on the team respectively. Wallace isn’t the greatest shooter, connecting on just .401% from the field and .313% from behind the arc – but those numbers are fairly consistent with Wayne Smith’s vitals. On the plus side, Wallace is .815% from the free throw line.

Another guard, 6-4 freshman Kevin Forney, started three games at one point but has seen action in just 18 games this season. Forney averages 7.4ppg and 1.6rpg. Forney is one of the more reliable shooters on the team, clipping the nets at .477% during conference play. Charles Stanfield, 6-4, averages 7.1ppg and 3.8rpg and has started every game he’s played in. Trouble is, he’s missed five games. In fact, the Dukes have played Switcheroo all year as not a single player has started every game this season. Injuries and off-court issues and frustrated Porter and his staff all season. Wayne Smith gets help in the frontcourt from two players. The first is senior Devone Stephenson, a 6-7 forward averaging 5ppg and 5.5rpg. Stephenson has tailed off a bit since conference play started, but sees 20 minutes a game and does some dirty work inside.

The second interior man is 6-10 center Simon Ugunlesi, a junior who transferred in from Villanova. Ogunlesi is the only true center on the team capable of doing damage on either side of the ball. Ogunlesi averages 4.6ppg and 5.9rpg. Off the bench, 6-10, 225lb frosh Chris Clark sees about eight minutes a game, taking on the role of Duquesne’s version of Matt Cooper.

The rest of the contributors are a pair of 6-5 guards. Brad Midgley and Aaron Lovelace make small contributions, but nothing to scare opposing coaches. The Flyers are in a must-win situation. Dayton has avoided bad losses all year and can ill-afford to drop a late-season game to a 9-17 squad. The Flyers are expected to win, and they should. Duquesne is a healthy 7-5 at home however, so it won’t be easy – any team with Wayne Smith should worry coaches. Dayton can claim the A-10 West all to themselves with a victory. At this point in the season, anything less will be termed a disappointment.