No. 9 BYU (5-1) vs. Dayton (6-1)
- Tip: Friday, 7:30 p.m. MDT
- Venue: State Farm Field House at Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex, Kissimmee, Florida
- TV: ESPN
- Streaming: espn.com/live
- Radio: 102.7 FM/1160 AM/Sirius XM 143
- Series: BYU leads, 2-0 (most recent meeting: 2022)
The trends
- For BYU: 5-1 on the season, No. 8 in KenPom, averaging 84.7 points scored and 67.5 points allowed per game.
- For Dayton: 6-1 on the season, No. 69 in KenPom, averaging 79.0 points scored and 68.6 points allowed per game.
The stakes
For BYU: The Cougars won their first Invitational outing Thursday over Miami, pulling away in the second half and playing some of their best defense of the season.
With another win Friday, BYU would earn its first multi-team event title since 2023.
Though Dayton isn’t as prolific a scoring unit as Wisconsin or Miami, the Flyers’ defense will pressure BYU more than the Cougars have seen thus far in 2025. It will be a good opportunity for BYU to become familiar with such situations and prepare for high-stakes full court pressure in the future.
For Dayton: The Flyers are 6-1 on the year, only having lost to Big 12 opponent Cincinnati. Dayton’s two best wins — at Marquette and Thursday against Georgetown — both came in dramatic overtime fashion.
The Flyers were picked to finish third in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll and have appeared in four of the last 10 NCAA Tournaments.
As of now, BYU will be the best team Dayton faces all season, allowing the Flyers the chance for a marquee victory to slap on a future tournament résumé.
Players to watch
- For BYU: Forward AJ Dybantsa, guard Richie Saunders, wing Kennard Davis Jr.
- For Dayton: Guard Javon Bennett, guard De’Shayne Montgomery, forward Amaël L’Etang.
