MAUI, Hawai'i – Following one of the bigger Virginia Tech men's basketball nonconference wins in recent memory, the Hokies will play at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday against Dayton in the semifinals of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational.
With the win over No. 3/3 Michigan State (3-2) on Monday, Tech (6-0, 1-0 ACC) will play in the semis of a nonconference tournament for the second straight season, with it doing so at the 2018 Charleston Classic.
The matchup with the Flyers (4-0) will be broadcast on ESPN2, with Dan Shulman (play-by-play) and Jay Bilas (analyst) on the call, while Jon Laaser (play-by-play) and Mike Burnop (analyst) will broadcast on Virginia Tech Sports Properties. The Hokies lead the all-time series 8-5 and the two schools have not met since 2000.
GAME INFORMATION
Tue. | 8 p.m. ET vs. Dayton | Stats | Watch | Radio | Notes
The last time out, Tech beat its second straight ranked Big Ten team (Purdue, 2018) with a five-point victory versus the Spartans, as well as its second straight win against the AP's No. 3 team (Duke, 2019).
Redshirt freshman Landers Nolley was once again cool under pressure, hitting a triple with 40 ticks left to extend Tech's lead back to four points and preserve the win. He finished with a game-high 22 points.
But it was more than Nolley that got it done offensively, as four other Hokies cracked the double-digit plateau with juniors P.J. Horne (12) and Wabissa Bede (11) and freshmen Hunter Cattoor (10) and Nahiem Alleyne (10) all scoring in double figures.
But arguably the most important tidbit from Monday's game was how Tech brought it on the defensive end and played composed offensively. The Hokies only had nine turnovers, including just three in the second half, compared to forcing 16 Spartan miscues thanks to eight steals and six blocks.
Digging out the record books, the win signified Tech's first nonconference victory over a top-10 opponent since Dec. 3, 1983 over No. 7 NC State and its first against a top-five foe since Dec. 12, 1964 versus No. 3 Vanderbilt.
SCOUTING DAYTON
• The Flyers are coming off quite the convincing performance, cruising by then-undefeated Georgia (4-1) 80-61 thanks to an 18-point halftime lead. One of the better players in the country, Obi Toppin went off with a game-high 25 points and four rebounds to his name.
• Head coach Anthony Grant enters his third season in Dayton, following his time in the NBA with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He previously has been a head coach at Alabama and VCU.
• The Flyers are paced by Toppin, who is averaging 24 points and eight rebounds per game this season. The redshirt sophomore has scored at least 20 points in every contest this year, including a season-high 29 against Indiana State in the season opener.
• One of the better offensive teams in all of college basketball, Dayton ranks first in the country in assists per game, sharing the rock on average of 22 times. It also doesn't make mistakes, ranking second nationally in fewest turnovers committed with just 37 over a four-game span.
