Loyola joined the A-10 in the 2022-23 season and finished last with a 4-14 league mark that included two losses to Dayton. This past season, it improved to 15-3 and tied Richmond for the regular-season title. Dayton lost 77-72 at Loyola on March 1 in the only meeting between the two teams.
Here’s what else fans should know about the schedule pairings:
1. Repeat opponents: Dayton also will play Virginia Commonwealth, Saint Louis and Duquesne twice — once at home and once on the road.
Dayton split two games with VCU last season with each team winning on their home court. Dayton swept Saint Louis and Duquesne but lost 65-57 to Duquesne in the A-10 tournament quarterfinals.
2. Familiar foes: This will be the 11th straight season Dayton has played two games in the regular season against Saint Louis and the ninth straight season it has played two games against VCU.
This will be the ninth time in the last 10th seasons Dayton and Duquesne, the closest school in the conference to UD geographically, have played twice in the regular season. The 2022-23 season was the first time they played only once since the 2012-13 season.
3. One and done: Dayton will play one game against the other 10 A-10 teams.
• Davidson, George Mason, La Salle, Richmond and Saint Joseph’s will play at UD Arena.
Dayton swept two games from Davidson last season and has won nine straight games in the series. Dayton was 2-2 against the other four teams in the group with losses at George Mason and Richmond.
• Dayton will visit Fordham, George Washington, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and St. Bonaventure.
Dayton was 5-0 at home against those five teams last season. Dayton finished undefeated at home (15-0). It was the fourth time in school history it didn’t lose a game at UD Arena in a season. It finished 17-0 at home in 2020 and 2015 and 18-0 in 2009.
4. Postseason plans: The A-10 tournament moves to Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., in 2025 for the third time. It was held there in 2018 and 2022.
The tournament was held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 2024. It was the eighth A-10 tournament held in Brooklyn and the second in a row.
The event will return to PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh in 2026 for the first time since 2017.
5. Schedule change: With the A-10 expanding to 15 schools with the addition of Loyola in the 2022-23 season, each team will play four teams twice and the other 10 teams once in the 18-game schedule for the third straight season. In previous years, each team played five teams twice.
6. Looking ahead: The exact dates of the A-10 games will be announced at a later date. They are typically announced in early September. The date was Sept. 6 last year.
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