Dayton adds another neutral court game to 2019-20 schedule

Dayton’s first regular-season game in Arizona will be played as part of the Air Force Reserve Jerry Colangelo Classic presented by Citi. Grand Canyon and Liberty will play in the other game. The games will be played at Talking Stick Resort Arena, the home of the NBA's Phoenix Suns.

"We are honored and excited to play in the 2019 Jerry Colangelo Classic," Dayton coach Anthony Grant said in a press release. "The impact that Mr. Colangelo has had on the sport of basketball in our country is incredible. Coach Bennett has built a great program and St. Mary's will be another high-level opponent on our schedule. We are looking forward to playing in Phoenix and giving our fans from the Southwest and West Coast an opportunity to see us in person."

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Saint Mary's is the third known opponent on Dayton's non-conference schedule. The Flyers will play Indiana State in their season opener Nov. 9 at UD Arena and will play Colorado on Dec. 21 in the Chicago Legends event at the United Center.

Dayton also will play Nov. 25-27 in the Maui Invitational for the first time since 2013. Possible opponents include BYU, Georgia, Kansas, Michigan State, UCLA, Virginia Tech and host Chaminade.

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Dayton and Saint Mary's will meet for the third time in four years. The Gaels swept the two previous games, winning 61-57 at UD Arena on Nov. 19, 2016, and 69-54 on Dec. 19, 2017.

Saint Mary’s has won 20 or more games 12 seasons in a row and has played in the NCAA tournament seven times in the last 15 seasons. It was 22-12 last season, upset Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference championship game and lost 61-57 to Villanova in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

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Saint Mary’s has been ranked in the top 25 in many preseason polls and returns four starters, including leading scorer Jordan Ford (21.1 points per game).

Tickets for the Colangelo Classic go on sale Thursday via Ticketmaster and the Talking Stick Resort Arena box office. Citi cardmembers can purchase presale tickets on Tuesday and Wednesday.