If the Bearcats are on ESPN+, as they often are, my dad’s not watching. I think ESPN+ is a great deal but understand it’s not for everyone. A cable package is still superior to streaming, in part because you don’t have to worry about usernames and passwords. But the TV situation has been the same for years and won’t change. The good news is fans can watch every game. The bad news is it’s not cheap to watch every game.
My dad won’t be able to watch Friday’s game between the No. 22 Flyers and No. 19 Bearcats because it’s on ESPNU, which is not part of his Spectrum package. He wouldn’t watch it live anyway. He watches all sporting events the next day on the DVR.
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I will be there Friday night, of course. I’m excited to do an interview with former Dayton Daily News sports writer Chick Ludwig on 700 WLW on Friday night before the game. Check it out a little after 6 p.m.
Dayton dominated the second half last season in the first Hoops Classic, beating Cincinnati 82-68 at the old Riverfront Coliseum, which will again be the site of the game this season.
I doubt UD will have such an easy time this season. UC is supposed to be much improved, but it’s hard to tell. It hasn’t been tested as much as Dayton. Its non-conference strength of schedule ranks 310th in the country out of 364 Division I programs, according to KenPom.com. The Bearcats can afford to play that type of schedule because of how difficult their Big 12 schedule is.
Cincinnati lost 68-60 at Villanova in their biggest early test and then beat Xavier 68-65 — finally, after five losses in a row to its rival — in the Crosstown Shootout last Saturday.
I ranked UC 21st in my Associated Press top-25 preseason poll. I dropped it from the rankings after the loss to Villanova. Anyone still voting for the Bearcats is doing so because of their perceived potential and not because of their resume.
A memorable seven-day stretch
Credit: David Jablonski
Credit: David Jablonski
The game against Cincinnati will be Dayton’s third in seven days. Outside of March or the November tournaments, when Dayton plays three games in three days or three in four, this has the potential to be the most memorable seven days for the program in a long time.
The 71-63 victory against Marquette will rank high on the list of great victories for the Flyers at UD Arena because of Marquette’s No. 6 ranking. The 66-65 victory against UNLV on Tuesday belongs on the same list because of the clutch 3-point play by a player, Malachi Smith, who is putting together one of the great comeback seasons in UD history.
Smith should get just as much credit for the pass he made to Nate Santos a minute earlier. He drove the baseline and threw a one-handed bullet to the corner. The ball nearly hit the tips of a UNLV defender’s fingers. That same defender had a hand in Santos’ face, but Santos swished the 3-pointer to cut UNLV’s lead to one point with 1:16 to play.
The two home victories give Dayton a chance to break the school record for consecutive victories at home. The Flyers won 30 home games in a row from March 2008 to January 2010. That streak ended when Rhode Island’s Marquis Jones made a 3-pointer with 3.4 seconds remaining to beat Dayton 65-64.
To get to 30 straight this season, Dayton will have to beat La Salle, George Mason (the last team to beat the Flyers at UD Arena on Feb. 25, 2023), Loyola Chicago, Saint Joseph’s and Davidson. If the Flyers win those five games, they would get a chance to break the record on Feb. 7 against A-10 preseason favorite Virginia Commonwealth.
As UNLV (5-5) proved Tuesday, even the most average teams can give Dayton problems. The Flyers are 9-0 at home this season. Five of those games have been decided by single digits.
Christmas gift ideas for Dayton fans
Credit: David Jablonski
Credit: David Jablonski
There is no shortage of Santa hats at UD Arena this month. The entire Flyer Pep Band wore them for the Marquette and UNLV games.
Dayton fans got exactly what they wanted for Christmas with the two big victories, but here are some other ideas for fans doing late shopping.
• Dayton 6th, the NIL collective supporting UD athletes, recently launched the Flyers Club collection. Apparel is available online (click here) and at the UD bookstore.
• Malachi Smith is on Cameo. It’s $100 for a personal video.
• UD Maui jerseys are for sale at Dayton’s NIL store.
• My book, “The Epicenter of College Basketball: A History of UD Arena,” went on sale a year ago. It’s now available on Amazon at this link.
• Larry Hansgen’s book about the 2019-20 season, “Bigger Than Basketball,” is also available on Amazon.
• There are three copies of Ritter Collet’s book about the history of Dayton basketball available on this site. I might write the sequel to that book someday to cover the last 30-plus years.
Fast Break
Here’s other news that might interest Flyer fans:
🏀 Joe Tipton, of On3Sports.com, reported that a Dayton coach or coaches would be at the City of Palms Classic in Florida on Thursday to watch 2026 recruits Cameron Holmes, a 6-foot-5 guard from Goodyear, Ariz., and Cody Peck, a 6-10 center from Bradenton, Fla.
Holmes is the brother of former Dayton forward DaRon Holmes II. He ranks 18th in the 2026 class, according to Rivals.com. He received a scholarship offer from Dayton in December 2022.
Peck ranks 26th in the 2026 class, according to Rivals.com. He received a scholarship offer from Dayton in July.
🏀 In other recruiting news, T.J. Crumble, a 6-8 forward from Richmond Heights, Ohio, sat behind the Dayton bench during the Marquette game. He received a scholarship offer from Dayton in March.
🏀 Dayton ranked 15th in ESPN’s power rankings this week after the victory against UNLV.
🏀 There have been several disappointing results for the Atlantic 10 Conference this week.
• Loyola Chicago (9-1) suffered its first loss, falling 76-66 to San Francisco on Sunday in Milwaukee.
• VCU (9-3) lost 78-71 to New Mexico at The Pit in Albuquerque on Wednesday.
• Saint Louis (6-5), a popular pick to win the league because of first-year coach Josh Schertz, lost 74-71 at home to Wofford on Wednesday.
What do you want to know about the Flyers?
I want to hear from you. Reach out to me directly at david.jablonski@coxinc.com with your questions and feedback on the team or this newsletter.
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