Dayton completes non-conference men’s basketball schedule

Flyers will play seven teams ranked below 200 in the NET

The Dayton Flyers men’s basketball team will play eight non-conference games at UD Arena, three games on a neutral court in Orlando, Fla., and two road games in the 2021-22 season.

The 13-game non-conference schedule was announced Wednesday. It includes several games that had already been announced: the season opener on Nov. 9 against Illinois-Chicago at UD Arena; a Nov. 25 first-round matchup against the Miami Hurricanes in the ESPN Events Invitational plus two more games in that tournament on Nov. 26 and Nov. 28; a Dec. 12 home game against Virginia Tech; and a road game on Dec. 18 against Mississippi.

While a road game against Southern Methodist had been announced, the date was not public until Wednesday. Dayton will play the Mustangs in Dallas, Texas, on Dec. 8.

Dayton also announced it will play a preseason game on Oct. 31 or Nov. 1 against an opponent to be determined. No announcement was made about the Red and Blue game, though Athletic Director Neil Sullivan said earlier this summer the plan was to have one for the first time since 2016.

The games on the schedule that were not previously announced are all home games. Game times will be announced at a later date. Here’s a look at those games.

Nov. 13: UMass-Lowell

Lowell ranked 214th in the NCAA Evaluation Tool last season, finishing 11-12 overall and 7-8 in the American East Conference. This will be the first meeting between Dayton and Lowell.

Nov. 17: Lipscomb

Lipscomb ranked 240th. It finished 15-12 and 9-6 in the Atlantic Sun Conference. Dayton has never played Lipscomb.

Nov. 20: Austin Peay

Dayton leads this series 4-0. The teams last played on Nov. 11, 2016, at UD Arena. The Flyers won 96-68 in the season opener for both teams.

The Governors finished 14-13 and 10-10 in the Ohio Valley Conference last season. They ranked 248th in the NET.

Dec. 1: Alabama State

The Hornets have suffered six straight losing seasons. They ranked 343rd out of 347 teams in the NET last season, finishing 4-14 in the Southwest Athletic Conference in a season in which they did not play a non-conference game.

Dayton and Alabama State played once before with UD winning 81-50 on Dec. 20, 1996, at UD Arena.

Dec. 4: Northern Illinois

The Huskies (3-16, 2-12 in the Mid-American Conference) posted the worst winning percentage in school history last season, finishing 339th in the NET. UD and NIU have played twice, most recently on Dec. 1, 2012. Dayton won 60-43 at UD Arena.

Dec. 21: vs. Southern

Ranked 281st in the NET last season, the Jaguars finished 8-11 and 8-6 in the SWAC. The teams last played on Jan. 27, 1997, with UD winning 91-56.

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