Dayton and Canisius have played 20 times but haven’t met in almost 40 years. Dayton leads the series 18-2.
All but four of the matchups took place in the 1950s and 1960s. The teams didn’t play in the 1970s. The Flyers won three of four games against the Golden Griffins in the 1980s.
In the last matchup, on Feb. 15, 1986, Dayton freshman guard Negele Knight made 1 of 2 free throws with five seconds remaining in overtime to break a tie and give Dayton a 69-68 victory. Anthony Grant, then a junior and now in his ninth season as Dayton’s head coach, scored 11 points.
Canisius finished 3-28 overall last season and placed last in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, the nation’s 25th-ranked conference, with a 3-17 mark. It ranked 357th out of 364 teams in the NCAA Evaluation Tool.
Canisius lost eight players to the transfer portal but added six transfers. Jim Christian, formerly of Kent State, Ohio, TCU, and Boston College, coached his first season at Canisius last year.
Canisius has suffered seven straight losing seasons. It last played in the NCAA tournament in 1996.
Dayton has a 20-game winning streak in season openers. It has not lost its first game since a 2004 loss to Eastern Kentucky.
About the Author
