In the first half of a two-year home-and-home series, Dayton will look to earn another power-conference victory on Tuesday when it hosts reeling Florida State.
Dayton (8-3), which will travel to Tallahassee in 2026, boasts Big East victories over Marquette and Georgetown, and hopes to take advantage of a road-weary Seminoles team.
The Flyers won their 32nd consecutive nonconference home game on Saturday with an 84-61 win over North Florida. Georgia transfer De’Shayne Montgomery, who leads Dayton with 16.1 points per game, posted 23 points on 9-for-10 shooting in the win.
Montgomery is no stranger to facing high-caliber programs and welcomes the challenge the ACC foe will bring.
“(Florida State) is a good program, but at the end of the day, they put on their jersey the same way we do,” Montgomery said. “They’re coming into our building and we’ve just got to take care of business at home. We’re going for the kill.”
Head coach Anthony Grant’s program is hosting an ACC team for the first time since a five-point win over Virginia Tech in December 2021. As the Flyers continue trying to build an NCAA Tournament resume, Grant knows his team can’t squander the chance.
“When you get an opportunity like this in your building, you’ve got to make sure you’re as prepared as you can be,” Grant said. “Eleven games into this season, I think we’re still developing an identity. I don’t think we’re close to our ceiling on either side of the ball.”
Florida State (5-5) has dropped four straight games. Under first-year head coach Luke Loucks, the Seminoles have surrendered at least 95 points in three of their last four games.
The almost entirely transfer-led roster is still trying to jell, and will have to do it on the road again. Florida State is playing its third straight away from home, having followed an 82-67 loss to Houston with a 103-95 collapse against UMass in Sunrise, Fla.
“We have a lot to clean up and no one’s going to save us,” Loucks said Saturday. “We’ve got another tough game coming in Dayton on the road. We’re in a tough spot. We’ve lost four in a row and we’re playing with inconsistent effort and fight.”
Jacksonville transfer Robert McCray V had 21 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds against UMass. McCray paces the Seminoles with 14.8 points per contest, while Lajae Jones adds 12.5.
