San Juan, PR (My Sportsbook) - A top-25 battle is on the docket in the opening round of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, as 18th-ranked Dayton and 21st- ranked Georgia Tech meet up in the Coliseo de Puerto Rico.
Brian Gregory's Flyers came into the season with a great deal of optimism and that certainly was bolstered in last weekend's season-opener, as Dayton outlasted a tough Creighton squad in the shootout, 90-80. UD is the favorite to win the Atlantic 10 this season and has had a great deal of success in regular-season invitationals under Gregory. In four previous tourneys, the Flyers have gone 9-2, including two titles - the 2003 Maui Invitational and the 2008 Chicago Invitational.
Speaking of an air of optimism, the Atlanta area is buzzing about the 2009-10 Yellow Jackets and what they may be able to accomplish in the ACC. Paul Hewitt's team got its season underway last Saturday, with an easy 100-59 whipping of Florida A&M.
These two teams have met just one prior time, with Dayton posting a narrow 65-63 victory at UD Arena back in 1977.
Junior forward Chris Wright was named to the Preseason Naismith Trophy Watchlist and for good reason. The dynamic scorer opened up his season with an amazing performance against Creighton, erupting for a game-high 25 points, while grabbing eight rebounds. Wright got plenty of help from 6-6 sophomore Chris Johnson, who came off the bench and destroyed the Bluejays inside, posting a double-double consisting of 18 points and 15 rebounds. Senior guard Marcus Johnson was the only other Flyer to net double figures with 13 points, as sophomore reserves Paul Williams and Luke Fabrizius just missed at nine points apiece. Dayton shot the ball fairly well in the opener, converting 49.3 percent from the floor, while hitting nine three-pointers. Wright's explosive play will keep Dayton in the win column more often than not, but what really makes the Flyers dangerous is the supporting cast around him.
The Yellow Jackets made light work of the Rattlers and were able to showcase their truly gifted freshman class as a result. Tech's prized recruit Derrick Favors was instrumental in the lopsided win, posting 10 points and eight rebounds. Another freshman, Brian Oliver, was able to chip in with 12 points, all coming in the second half. The youngsters were shown the way by incumbents Iman Shumpert and Gani Lawal, who put up 18 and 16 points, respectively. Lawal completed a double-double with 12 rebounds. Shumpert is the straw that stirs the drink for Tech this year and his debut this season was impressive, especially since he led the team in scoring despite being on the floor only 19 minutes in the game. Georgia Tech completely outplayed Florida A&M at both ends of the floor, holding a huge advantage on the boards (55-31), as well as forcing 25 turnovers.
