Indiana State at Dayton 11/9/19 - College Basketball Picks & Predictions

The Indiana State Sycamores visit University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio on Saturday to play the Dayton Flyers. The Sycamores open their regular season in this game. Indiana State last season finished in 15-16 overall and lost in the first round of the MVC Tournament to Valparaiso 77-55. Tyreke Key returns as the Sycamores leading scorer with an average of 17.4 points last season.

Jordan Barnes shot 34-for-67 last season from 3-point territory through 11 games and at that point was averaging 21.5 points per game, but his scoring fell off after Christmas, but Barnes is expected to join Key as the two top scorers again in 2019-20. Christian Williams is the only other starter from last season returning, while Bronson Kessinger a forward did not start but returns and will be looked upon to play a big role in the paint this season especially on defense.

Dayton opens its 2019-20 season on Saturday as well. The Flyers won 21 games last season and were eliminated during the NIT’s first round. Obi Toppin has returned to play and depth will not be in issue for the squad. A group of transfers has joined the team and incoming freshmen will make it easy for nine or ten players to play on a regular basis.

Obi Toppin is the best player on the squad and is NBA caliber. Jalen Crutcher will start at point guard and has started nearly every game since joining the Flyers. Trey Landers pulled down 6.7 rebounds per game last year and is a solid forward. Ryan Mikesell is a solid shooter and will bounce between starting and coming off the bench. Jordy Tshimanga is likely a start as the transfer from Nebraska will help the Flyers down low on both ends of the court.