Last year, Dayton ranked 55th at the start of the season and fourth at the end. Two years ago, Dayton improved from 99th to 62nd. In coach Anthony Grant’s first season, Dayton fell from 103rd to 172nd.
Dayton hasn’t finished close to its preseason ranking since the 2016-17 season when it began the season ranked No. 37 and ended the season at No. 39.
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This year, Dayton is the second highest-ranked Atlantic 10 Conference school behind No. 45 Saint Louis. No. 62 Richmond, No. 76 St. Bonaventure, No. 80 Davidson, No. 84 Duquesne, No. 97 Virginia Commonwealth and No. 98 Rhode Island also rank in the top 100.
Here’s how other area teams rank: No. 10 Ohio State; No. 111 Wright State; and No. 175 Miami.
Baylor is the preseason No. 1. Dayton’s first opponent, Wichita State, ranks 74th. Dayton will play No. 13 Creighton or No. 95 South Dakota State in its second game.
Dayton has non-conference games against No. 42 Mississippi, No. 57 Southern Methodist and No. 78 Mississippi State.
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