Dayton @ Colorado preview

Dayton at Colorado

Last Meeting ( Mar 19, 2019 ) Dayton 73, Colorado 78

Colorado got the best of Dayton last March when they met in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament in Boulder. The 12th-ranked Flyers now can earn a measure of revenge Saturday when they meet in the Chicago Legends showcase at the United Center.

The Buffaloes’ hard-fought 78-73 victory March 19 was the first of two home NIT wins before falling at eventual-champion Texas in the quarterfinals. And, like Colorado, Dayton has returned most of its key players and has won nine of 10 games – losing only to current No. 1 Kansas in overtime the Maui Invitational final – while climbing from unranked in the preseason to the No. 12 spot in seven weeks. “Everyone’s happy we’re ranked,” Flyers second-leading scorer Jalen Crutcher said following Tuesday’s 71-58 win over North Texas, the team’s fourth straight victory. “We’ve just got to keep it going. We can’t let it get to our heads.” One of the Buffs’ two losses this season – a 72-58 road defeat Dec. 7—also came against the Jayhawks, but they now head to the Windy City with a two-game win streak after beating Colorado State (56-48) and Prairie View A&M (83-64) over the last week.

TV: 6:30 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network

ABOUT COLORADO (9-2): The Buffaloes have struggled with their offensive flow for most of the season and still are averaging 15.5 turnovers per contest, but they did hit season highs in scoring (83), field-goal percentage (50.0), assists (18) and free throws made (26-of-28) Wednesday night in routing the visiting Panthers. Sophomore big man Evan Battey scored a season-high 20 points in the win and is one of six Colorado players averaging at least 7.2 points on the season. Tyler Bey, a 6-7 junior, paces the team in scoring (12.6) and rebounding (10.1) while point guard McKinley Wright averages 11.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and a team-most 3.9 assists.

ABOUT DAYTON (9-1): Obi Toppin, a 6-9 sophomore, leads the Flyers with 20.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per outing but is coming off a season-low 11 points in the win over North Texas. Crutcher is averaging 12.5 points and a team-leading 5.5 assists while forward Ryan Mikesell (10.9 points), and guards Trey Landers (10.2) and Ibi Watson (10.1) also are averaging double figures. Overall, Dayton is tops nationally with a 53.7 team field-goal percentage and is ninth with a 1.49 assist-to-turnover ratio while averaging 84.8 points (sixth).

TIP-INS

1. Colorado has won three of the four head-to-head meetings, and in the 78-73 NIT victory last season, Wright and fellow guard D’Shawn Schwartz scored 19 points apiece to overcome Toppin’s game-high 21 points and Dayton’s 54.5-percent shooting.

2. Dayton ranks 19th nationally with a 39.6-percent success rate from 3-point range with Crutcher and Watson combining for 45 of the Flyers’ 103 made treys.

3. Colorado outrebounded Prairie View 43-29 and ranks 48th nationally with a plus-6.6 rebound margin on the season. The Buffs also rank 24th nationally in scoring defense, allowing 59.7 points per outing.

PREDICTION: Dayton 72, Colorado 64