Dayton to hold ‘secret scrimmage’ on Oct. 23

Game against West Virginia will take place nine days before exhibition game
West Virginia coach Bob Huggins, second from left, sits courtside at the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association Showcase on Saturday, June 29, 2019, at Capital University in Bexley. David Jablonski/Staff

Credit: David Jablonski/Staff

Credit: David Jablonski/Staff

West Virginia coach Bob Huggins, second from left, sits courtside at the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association Showcase on Saturday, June 29, 2019, at Capital University in Bexley. David Jablonski/Staff

The Dayton Flyers men’s basketball team will scrimmage West Virginia on Oct. 23 in Columbus, according to a source.

The news was first reported Friday by Jeff Goodman, of Watch Stadium, who published a list of secret scrimmages taking place across the country in the coming weeks.

NCAA rules allow Division I teams to scrimmage in the preseason, but they aren’t allowed to open the scrimmage to fans or media. It’s rare for any scores to stats about the games to be released.

Dayton did not hold a preseason scrimmage in 2020 because of the pandemic. It scrimmaged Cincinnati in 2019, Pittsburgh in 2018, Northern Kentucky in 2017,  Purdue in 2016, Marquette in 2015 in Indianapolis and Illinois in 2014.

West Virginia, entering the 15th season under coach Bob Huggins, finished 19-10 last season and lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament. It was picked to finish tied for fifth in the Big 12.

West Virginia’s roster includes former Sinclair Community College guard Sean McNeil, a 6-foot-3 junior who averaged 12.2 points per game last season. He was recruited by Dayton while at Sinclair.

The Mountaineers lost two players, Miles McBride and Derek Culver, who averaged 30.2 points per game between them.

This scrimmage will take place nine days before Dayton plays Cedarville University at 7 p.m. Nov. 1 in an exhibition game at UD Arena. The regular season starts eight days after that game, at 7 p.m. Nov. 9, with a home game against Illinois-Chicago.

According to Goodman, Wright State will scrimmage Eastern Kentucky on Oct. 23 and Ball State on Oct. 29, and the Miami RedHawks will scrimmage Detroit Mercy in Cleveland on Oct. 23.

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