UC, Dayton to play basketball this December at Heritage Bank Center

For the first time since suffering back-to-back losses to Xavier in 2012 and 2013, the University of Cincinnati will play basketball in downtown Cincinnati.

This time the opponent will be the Dayton Flyers whom the Bearcats last played in the regular season Nov. 27, 2010 at what was previously known as Riverfront Coliseum. The building now known as Heritage Bank Center provides ample pre-and post-game opportunities for fans with its access to The Banks.

When, where and how?

Heritage Bank Center hosts the game Saturday, Dec. 16 with the time and TV information to be announced later. Tickets are to be available online Wednesday, July 26 at HeritageBankCenter.com, Ticketmaster.com or the Ticketmaster app. It is a one-year agreement with an option for a second year.

By the way, UC won the last meeting vs. Dayton 68-34 and leads the series 60-31. Eight months earlier, the Flyers recorded their last win against the Bearcats eliminating them in a second-round NIT game March 22, 2010 by a score of 81-66.

How the game came about

Brooks Downing is the former Kentucky men's basketball sports information director who was part of national championship runs with Rick Pitino and Tubby Smith. He is the founder and president of bdG Sports and put together the Hoops Classic presented by altafiber.

His company puts on college basketball and golf events across the U.S. and the Bahamas. They also are behind Xavier's Continental Tire Main Event in Las Vegas in November.

Downing expects to split the arena between Bearcats and Flyers fans, but obviously, ticket sales will determine that. Heritage Bank Center is getting new seating and Downing will bring in a new floor and goals for the event including the logos of both schools.

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Negotiations were initiated between the schools' athletic directors.

UC's Wes Miller on playing Dayton

"We're in a part of the country that's rich in college basketball tradition," Miller said. "It's one of the things that I like about coaching in Cincinnati, the pride and the passion of our fan base. People love college basketball. There's other institutions in this area that have similar fan bases and similar passion for our game. We can put two of those programs together, it's a special thing in non-conference play. We get better every year in the Crosstown Shootout, but I didn't realize 'til I moved here how close Dayton was. Sometimes it feels with all the suburbs, the two cities are almost connected. I think it will be great to play a high-profile game here in Cincinnati in a neutral environment."

Don't look for UC to visit UD Arena

"I played in Dayton's Arena in 2006 in the NCAA tournament and we lost to George Mason in the second round," Miller said. "I don't ever want to play there ever again."

Miller was joking, but the bottom line is the game will be a money-maker for both at the site and both coaches say it makes sense for the fan bases.

"I've followed Dayton's program for years and have tremendous respect for the history of the program and for the job Anthony's done and some of the teams he's had the last couple of years," Miller said.

Dayton's Anthony Grant on playing the Bearcats

"You're looking at two very tradition-rich programs. I played at Dayton and I can remember playing against UC and that rivalry and history. For a non-conference game to get this quality of an opponent on our schedule is a great opportunity for our guys. I know the fan bases are excited for the opportunity to renew the rivalry."

Both teams had similar records in 2022-23

Grant's Flyers were 22-12 while Miller's Bearcats were 23-13. The transfer portal was not kind to the Flyers who currently have just seven players listed on their website as of Wednesday.

"We've got a foreign tour that we're getting ready for here," Grant said. "It's about learning our team and having our team learn us. Normal activity now is there's fluctuation in your roster. I think we'll be able to put together a group of guys that will be competitive and that are excited to play with each other. We're looking forward to getting to prepare for the upcoming season."

The Flyers return three starters, including junior forward, DaRon Holmes II who was Most Outstanding Player of the Atlantic 10 tournament. Grant's Flyers were second in the A-10 during the regular season and tournament. They will play in Barcelona and Paris between Aug. 4-13 in exhibitions.

UC adds seven newcomers including four high-impact transfers in C.J. Fredrick (Kentucky), Jamille Reynolds (Temple), Simas Lŭkosius (Butler) and Aziz Bandaogo (Utah Valley University). The 7-foot Bandaogo played against the Bearcats in their NIT quarterfinal finale to end the season

In terms of common opponents, the Flyers beat SMU last November by 12 at UD Arena. UC defeated the Mustangs in American Athletic Conference play by two in Dallas, then 97-74 on Senior Day at Fifth Third Arena.

Miller wants to see C-Paws for the match-up

"One thing that has blown me away coaching here is the support of our fans," he said. "Every once in a while you think it's Christmas break and nobody's going to show up. You walk out and there's 10-11,000 at Fifth Third (Arena) when you didn't think there would be five. I think you play a local game against a great program against a team that has a lot of support in the area that's in downtown Cincinnati, you expect to have a great atmosphere. Selfishly, I expect our fans to drown out those Dayton fans. I expect us to have a much bigger influence from a fan perspective. Hopefully, it's 70% UC in there. We've got to make sure if we walk out there and it's that way that our players understand that with the kind of support they're giving us, we better give that kind of effort in return."

An interesting wrinkle

Former UC head coach John Brannen became a program analyst/special assistant to Grant at Dayton last September. Brannen previously had been an associate head coach at Alabama under Grant prior to his head coaching stops at Northern Kentucky University and UC. However, no current Bearcats played for Brannen with Jeremiah Davenport (Arkansas) and Mika Adams-Woods (St. Bonaventure) moving on through the transfer portal in the off-season.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: UC, Dayton will meet in basketball at Heritage Bank Center Dec. 16