GAME NOTES: The undefeated Eastern Michigan Eagles will try to stay perfect as they visit UD Arena for a non-conference bout with the Dayton Flyers.

Although coach Rob Murphy's Eagles will be playing their first road game of the season after a perfect 7-0 homestand to open his fourth campaign at the school, only four of their wins have come against Division I opponents. However, EMU dominated its first seven games, outscoring its foes by an average of 19.4 ppg and allowing a Mid-American Conference-low 55.4 ppg. The Eagles will conclude their four-game road trip with visits to Michigan, Michigan State and Missouri State.

EMU has been one of the top defensive teams in the MAC during the Murphy era, but this season the Eagles have some scoring punch as well. Sophomore guard Raven Lee has already recorded a pair of 20-plus point games en route to a team-high 15 ppg. Senior forward Karrington Ward is off to a promising start also with averages of 14.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals. Anali Okoloji, a graduate transfer from George Mason, is also playing a big role for EMU with 9.7 ppg and 5.6 rpg. The Eagles also have a dangerous weapon off the bench in Mike Talley (10.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 4.1 apg), who made his first appearance with the program in 2013-14 after transferring from Duquesne.

The Flyers own a 3-0 all-time series lead over EMU, with all three previous encounters taking place at UD Arena. The last time the schools met was Dec. 19, 1998.

The Mid-American Conference has not found too much success in Dayton. The Flyers are 19-1 at home versus MAC schools in the last 14 seasons.

Coach Archie Miller's squad defeated Miami-Ohio (66-62), another MAC foe, on the road on Wednesday to improve to 5-1. Dayton has also notched decisions over Texas A&M (55-53), Boston College (65-53) and Illinois-Chicago (75-41). The Flyers' only blemish on the season is a 75-64 loss to the defending champion Connecticut Huskies on a neutral floor. Dayton's early-season success can be attributed to its stingy defense, which is allowing 56 ppg to tie for first in scoring defense in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Foes have connected on only 36.9 percent of their field goal attempts.

Dayton's offense is starting to revolve around senior guard Jordan Sibert, who has been on fire as of late. Sibert has scored 17.8 ppg on 46.8 efficiency from the floor over his past four games and paces the A-10 in free-throw percentage at .920. Junior guard Dyshawn Pierre is the Flyers' second option with averages of 11.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per tilt. Junior center Devon Scott (9.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg) is a big factor defensively with his 6-foot-9 frame. Off the bench, Kendall Pollard has provided a spark for Dayton with 10 ppg on a sizzling 69 percent shooting from the floor. Pollard made good on 6-of-7 field goal tries to net 15 points versus Miami on Wednesday. Scott registered his second-straight double-double with 13 points and 10 boards.

The Flyers are clearly picking up steam after gaining confidence in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. EMU is a very physical team with plenty of depth, so it could give Dayton a challenge up until the final buzzer. However, the Flyers have an incredible homecourt advantage which is sometimes nearly impossible to overcome.

Sports Network Projected Outcome: Dayton 58, Eastern Michigan 49