Dayton, Cincinnati will play for first time in 13 years in December
Jul. 19—The Dayton Flyers and Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball teams will meet for the first time since 2010 in the Hoops Classic on Dec. 16 at the Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati.
The matchup, first reported in May by Jon Rothstein, of CBS Sports, was officially announced Wednesday in a press conference outside the Heritage Bank Center on Cincinnati's riverfront.
The programs agreed to a one-game contract with an option for a second year.
"We are excited about the opportunity to compete in the Hoops Classic," Dayton coach Anthony Grant said in a press release. "This game will be a showcase of two tradition‐rich programs with very passionate fan bases. It certainly makes for a very attractive matchup in non‐conference play."
The game time and television info will be announced at a later date. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. July 26 at HeritageBankCenter.com, Ticketmaster.com or through the Ticketmaster app.
According to UD, "UD season0ticket holders will get access to a pre-sale starting on July 20 at 10 a.m. More information will be emailed directly to Flyer season ticket holders from the UD Arena Ticket Office on how to access this presale. UD fans are encouraged to purchase in sections 101-108, 132-140, 201-210, and 232-240."
Cincinnati leads the series 60-31. The teams played regularly from the 1920s through the early 2000s until UC joined the Big East Conference in the 2005-06 season. They played four times during UC's eight seasons in the Big East and did not meet during UC's 10 seasons in the American Athletic Conference.
The last game in the series, on Nov. 27, 2010, also took place at the Heritage Bank Center, which was then called U.S. Bank Arena, a venue first known as Riverfront Coliseum. The Bearcats beat the Flyers 68-34 in front of 6,016 fans in the Global Sports Main Event finale. It was Dayton's most lopsided loss in 15 years and its lowest scoring output since 1947.
A season earlier, Dayton beat UC 81-66 at Fifth Third Arena, the Bearcats' home court, in the second round of the NIT.
Dayton earned 20 of its 31 victories against UC before 1960. The Flyers have losing streaks of 14 games (1958-69), nine games (1975-83) and 11 games (1989-2001) in the series.
Cincinnati finished 23-13 last season, the second for coach Wes Miller, and reached the third round of the NIT. It lost its top two scorers: Landers Nolley (16.8 points per game); and David Dejulius (14.8). Its top returning scorer is forward Viktor Lakhin (11.6).
The Bearcats begin their first season in the Big 12 with seven newcomers, including four transfers: forward Jamille Reynolds (Temple); forward Aziz Bandaogo (Utah Valley); guard CJ Fredrick (Kentucky); and guard/forward Simas Lukosius (Butler).
While Dayton has not announced its full non-conference schedule, this is one of five known opponents.
Dayton's schedule also includes a game at Northwestern on Nov. 10. It will play Youngstown State on Nov. 24 at UD Arena.
Dayton will play at Southern Methodist in Texas and welcome UNLV to UD Arena. Dates for those games have not been announced.
Dayton also will play three games in the Charleston Classic in South Carolina on Nov. 16, 17 and 19. Possible opponents are: Wake Forest; LSU; Houston; North Texas; St. John's; Towson; and Utah.
