Dayton vs George Mason Odds, Pick for Wednesday

We have a massive matchup in the A-10 on Wednesday, as Dayton heads to EagleBank Arena to take on George Mason.

This will be these teams' first matchup of the year due to the odd A-10 scheduling system. Here and there, I like to look at past results from past seasons to see if there's any sort of trend or data point to dive into.

With these two, it's all but pointless.

George Mason has an almost entirely different roster from the last four years as well as a new coach. On the other side, Dayton has some important pieces on this year's squad that were not there in years past.

Dayton comes into this matchup at 11-2 and finds itself tied for the conference lead after a recent surge from Loyola Chicago — a team it just happens to play in 10 days.

The Flyers have undoubtedly been the best and most consistent team in this conference. Enoch Cheeks' ability to create and DaRon Holmes II's presence down low on both ends are tough to match in the A-10.

Not only are the Flyers one of the best teams nationally, but they also bring some of the best offensive metrics in the entire nation to the table.

Dayton ranks in the top 20 in both effective field goal percentage and 3-point percentage. Defensively, it sits inside the top 70 in both defending close shots and the 3-ball.

At the mid-major level, the Flyers' combination of skill and willingness to play as a team is tough to beat. It's no surprise they're a top-20 team in the nation.

EagleBank Arena is sneakily one of the most difficult places to play in the A-10. The people of Fairfax County always show up and show out for GMU games, and the place will surely be rocking tonight when Dayton comes to town.

George Mason alum Tony Skinn has done a rather impressive job in his first year as the Patriots' head coach. He had to deal with a lot of roster turnover and almost start from scratch in this uber-competitive league.

The Patriots got out to a 13-2 start to the season and turned a ton of heads heading into conference play. However, the wheels fell off a tad as they limp into this contest after losing six of their last 10 games.

It's no secret that George Mason will be outmanned on both ends of the court.

If it wants to find success in this matchup, it will have to feed off the crowd, and more importantly, get do-it-all guard/forward Keyshawn Hall going. The sophomore transfer from UNLV averages over 17 points per game and can score both off the dribble and at the rim.

Hall is a matchup problem for Dayton, as he has size on most of the Flyers' guards and has a clear step on Holmes, the big man. Hall is the clear-cut X-factor in this matchup.

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Although there's a path for the home 'dogs to keep it close, I see too many ways that Dayton can find success here.

The Flyers have a newfound focus with Loyola Chicago working to steal the regular-season A-10 crown, and I just don't see them slipping up against an inferior opponent.

George Mason will get out to a hot start with a Hall dunk or two, but the Flyers will right the ship and have enough in the tank to win and cover here.

Pick: Dayton -2.5