Dayton is a dismal 14th in the Atlantic 10 in turnovers per game, while Fordham is last among 16 teams. And Rams coach Tom Pecora has a warning for fans occupying courtside seats when the teams meet Wednesday at UD Arena.

“For those people sitting in the first five rows, wear helmets. It’s going to be like dodgeball,” he quipped. “There’s days we just throw it all over the gym, and that will drive a coach crazy.

“But they’ll settle down,” he added of the Flyers. “Most teams do as the year progresses. I don’t think that will be as big an issue for them.”

Dayton coach Archie Miller certainly hopes Pecora is right. The Flyers are averaging 15.4 turnovers, ahead of only George Washington (15.7) and Fordham (16.4). And turnovers have been the chief factor behind a dispiriting 0-3 start in the conference.

UD had a combined 50 turnovers in road losses to VCU and La Salle. Miller was so vexed after his team treated the ball as if it were radioactive against La Salle on Wednesday that he planned to practice two or three times the next day to get it corrected.

He backed off once the Flyers returned home, giving them days off Thursday and Sunday.

“We’ve got to take great pride in taking care of the basketball,” he said. “If we start taking care of it a little better, some of the things we’re doing well, that are keeping us in the game, are going to propel us to win down the line.”

The Flyers, though, are off to only their third 0-3 start since joining the A-10 in 1995-96. Both times previously, they finished 6-10 in the league and had a losing record overall.

They went 20-13 and 9-7 in the A-10 last season.

“Any time you get into a conference race, you can’t lose your mind,” Miller said. “Obviously, it’s not a fun feeling to start off in a hole like we have. But last year at this time, we were 2-0 and had come off a win at Temple and were getting ready to go to 4-1. Everything felt great. Then in January and early February, we hit a skid and ended up losing four in a row. We had to rally from that and win five of our last (seven) to stay above water.

“So much of basketball this time of year isn’t physical, it’s mental. And certain guys for us either lack confidence or have gotten away from what they do well. That’s been our motto the last three or four days. We need to get some guys centered on playing well again.”