• Tuesday, Nov. 9: Dayton vs. Illinois-Chicago at UD Arena
Dayton and UIC played in 2011 and 2014 at UD Arena. Dayton won both games. The Flames finished 9-13 last season and 6-10 in the Horizon League.
• Thursday, Nov. 25: Dayton vs. Miami Hurricanes in Orlando, Fla.
This will be Dayton’s first-round game in the ESPN Events Invitational. It will be Dayton’s first game against Miami since December 1989.
Miami finished 10-17 last season. It was the worst record for coach Jim Larrañaga in 10 seasons. His team lost five players to the transfer portal following the season but got good news this summer when Isaiah Wong (17.1 points per game) and Kameron McGusty (13.3), the top-two leading scorers last season, decided to return to school instead of keeping their names in the NBA Draft.
• Friday, Nov. 26: Dayton vs. Kansas or North Texas in Orlando, Fla.
This will be either a semifinal in the ESPN event or a consolation-round game. Dayton played both its potential second-round opponents in the 2019-20 season. It lost 90-84 to Kansas in overtime in the Maui Invitational championship game and beat North Texas 71-58 at UD Arena.
• Sunday, Nov. 28: Dayton vs. Drake, Belmont, Alabama or Iona in Orlando, Fla.
Dayton last played Iona in 2013, Alabama in 2016 and Drake in December 2019. Dayton has never played Belmont.
• TBA: Dayton vs. Southern Methodist in Dallas, Texas
Southern Methodist beat Dayton 66-64 on a basket with 0.2 seconds to play last season at UD Arena. The Mustangs finished the season 11-6 and 7-4 in the American Athletic Conference. Their leading scorer, Kendric Davis (19.0 points per game), withdrew his name from the NBA Draft last week and announced he would return to SMU.
• Sunday, Dec. 12: Dayton vs. Virginia Tech at UD Arena
Dayton and Virginia Tech, a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference from 1996-2000, have played 14 times. The Hokies lead the series 8-6. Dayton won the last matchup 89-62 in the semifinals of the Maui Invitational in 2019.
Virginia Tech finished 15-7 last season and 9-4 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. It lost 75-70 to Florida in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
• Saturday, Dec. 18: Dayton vs. Mississippi in Oxford, Miss.
Dayton, which leads the all-time series 7-0, beat Ole Miss 65-62 on Dec. 19 last season at UD Arena. Ole Miss finished 16-12 and lost in the first round of the NIT to Louisiana Tech.
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