Dayton @ Kansas preview

Dayton at Kansas

Last Meeting ( Mar 22, 2009 ) Dayton 43, Kansas 60

After cruising past two overmatched opponents in the first two rounds of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational, No. 5 Kansas figures to be tested by Dayton in Wednesday’s title game in Lahaina, Hawaii. The Jayhawks defeated Chaminade and BYU by a total of 45 points, while Dayton posted victories over Georgia and Virginia Tech by 46.

Kansas forward David McCormack scored a team-high 16 points and center Udoka Azubuike recorded his 10th career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds in Tuesday’s 71-56 victory over BYU, which shot 9-of-33 from 3-point range and struggled to find open shots against the Jayhawks’ defense. The 7-foot Azubuike averages 12.8 points and 8.3 rebounds while shooting 79.5 percent from the field to lead Kansas, which has won five in a row following a season-opening loss to Duke. Azubuike faces a tough matchup in the title game against Dayton star forward Obi Toppin, who has drawn raves from NBA scouts after averaging 24.5 points and six rebounds in the first two games of the tournament. The 6-9 sophomore is shooting a remarkable 72.3 percent from the field through five games while shooting 8-of-15 from 3-point range.

TV: 5 p.m. ET, ESPN

ABOUT DAYTON (5-0): The versatile Toppin is averaging 24 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 blocks for the Flyers, who have outscored their first five opponents by an average of 21 points. Toppin scored 24 points on 10-of-14 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds in Tuesday’s 89-62 win over Virginia Tech while guards Trey Landers and Rodney Chatman each scored 13. The team’s eight-man rotation includes sophomore point guard Jalen Crutcher, who had six points and nine assists in Tuesday’s win and averages 11.8 points and 6.4 assists.

ABOUT KANSAS (5-1): The Jayhawks outscored BYU 42-18 in the paint Tuesday and received another strong effort from guard Ochai Agbaji, who entered the tournament in a shooting slump but has averaged 12.5 in the last two games. Point guard Devon Dotson averages a team-high 17.8 points and turned in a strong performance against BYU, finishing with 13 points and eight assists in 37 minutes. Senior guard Isaiah Moss was the first man off the bench again Tuesday and ranks fourth on the team in scoring (9.8) while shooting 47.8 percent from 3-point range.

TIP-INS

1. Kansas won the Maui Invitational championship in 1996 and 2015, while Dayton won in 2003.

2. The teams are meeting for the first time since the second round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament, when Kansas posted a 60-43 victory in Indianapolis.

3. All five of Kansas’ victories have been by 12 points or more.