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Dayton could carry Killers into Sweet 16

Jordan Sibert and Dayton's guard-heavy lineup have only increased its Giant Killer viability. Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Dayton beat Providence on Friday night going away, and with a classic Flyers performance: They moved the ball around and hoisted a lot of 3s (55 percent of attempts). They grabbed eight steals and forced turnovers on nearly a quarter of the Friars’ possessions. They harassed their opponent’s key scorers, holding LaDontae Henton and Kris Dunn to shooting just 23 percent (6-26). And they did it all while collecting just three offensive rebounds. It’s a style Dayton has evolved out of necessity. This season, the Flyers have lost players to transfer, ineligibility and suspensions, leaving them with just six scholarship athletes, and forcing them into an extremely undersized, guard-heavy lineup. It’s a very efficient but high-risk/high-reward formula -- exactly what Giant Killers need at this time of year. It’s also a lot of fun to watch.