Maybe it wasn’t a surprise that Dayton had the edge in support at the Heritage Bank Center, but it was enough of an issue that Cincinnati coach Wes Miller held a press conference Wednesday to get the word out to his fanbase about the importance of showing up at 8:30 p.m. Friday when the No. 22 Flyers (10-2) and No. 19 Bearcats (8-1) meet again at the same arena in the second annual Hoops Classic.
“Last year, we played this game, and I’ve heard a lot of things around town,” Miller said. “I don’t care what you think about the arena and the venue. To me, it doesn’t matter. It’s 94 feet. There are two goals that are 10 feet high. We’re playing one of the best teams in college basketball, and we’re doing it here in Cincinnati. Last year, there were more Dayton fans than there were Cincinnati fans.”
Miller put some of the blame on himself, saying the Bearcats didn’t give their fans much to cheer about in the game. This time, he said he knows Dayton fans will make the drive and his team needs all the help it can get.
“This is a big time game against a great opponent,” Miller said, “and it’s in our community. So please, please come out.”
Credit: David Jablonski
Here are 10 things to know about the game:
1. Series history: Cincinnati leads the series 60-32. Twenty one of Dayton’s victories in the series came before 1960. Since the 1957-58 season, Cincinnati has a record of 42-11 against Dayton.
2. Last meeting: Dayton beat Cincinnati 82-68 last season in the first game between the programs since the 2010-11 season. DaRon Holmes II scored 28 points. Kobe Elvis had 27 points. The Flyers made 28 of 30 free throws.
Eight Dayton players saw action in that game. Four return: Nate Santos, Javon Bennett and Enoch Cheeks, who all start; and Isaac Jack, who is playing limited minutes this season and has not played in the last two games.
Seven of the 11 Cincinnati players who saw action against Dayton return this season.
3. Top-25 matchup: This will be the sixth game between the two teams when both are ranked.
• No. 14 Cincinnati beat No. 23 Dayton 82-53 on Dec. 23, 2003.
• No. 22 Cincinnati beat No. 24 Dayton 82-75 on Nov. 29, 2000.
• No. 3 Cincinnati beat No. 8 Dayton 70-66 on March 4, 1958.
• No. 7 Dayton beat No. 14 Cincinnati 66-57 on Dec. 16, 1955.
• No. 13 Dayton beat No. 12 Cincinnati 80-69 on Feb. 18, 1955.
4. Strong start: Cincinnati beat Xavier 68-65 on Saturday in its last game for its first victory in the Crosstown Shootout since 2018.
That was Cincinnati’s first victory against a team ranked in the top 150 of the NCAA Evaluation Tool. Its only other top-200 victory was against No. 173 Georgia Tech. No. 68 Villanova beat Cincinnati 68-60 on Dec. 3 in Philadelphia.
Credit: David Jablonski
Credit: David Jablonski
5. Top returners: Simas Lukosius, a 6-6 senior guard, leads the team in scoring (16.0) after ranking second (11.8) last season. He played his first two seasons at Butler.
• Jizzle James, a 6-1 sophomore guard, ranks second in scoring (12.3) and first in assists (5.1). He averaged 8.8 points and 2.1 assists as a freshman.
• Daniel Skillings Jr., a 6-6 junior guard, led UC in scoring last season (12.8). He missed six games with an injury and returned to the starting lineup against Xavier, scoring 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting.
• Aziz Bandaogo, a 7-0 center, has improved his scoring average from 6.6 last season to 9.4 this season.
6. Top newcomer: Dillon Mitchell, a 6-8 junior forward, ranks third in scoring (11.8) and first in rebounding (7.4). He played the last two seasons at Texas.
7. Dayton connection: Bill Comar, who worked on the Dayton staffs of Oliver Purnell from 1998-01 and Archie Miller from 2011-17, is in his first season as chief of staff for Miller. He spent the previous three seasons at Ball State as special assistant to the head coach.
8. Strengths and weaknesses: Cincinnati ranks 45th in the nation in 3-point shooting percentage (37.9). Dayton ranks 53rd (37.7). The national average is 33.3.
• Cincinnati ranks 349th in the country in free-throw percentage (62.1). Dayton ranks 177th (71.6). The national average is 71.4.
Credit: David Jablonski
Credit: David Jablonski
9. Improved performance: Dayton freshman forward Amaël L’Etang made 2 of 3 3-pointers in a 66-65 victory against UNLV on Tuesday at UD Arena. He missed his four previous attempts over a five-game stretch after making 3 of 6 in a 92-90 loss to North Carolina on Nov. 25.
L’Etang had 10 points and four rebounds in 23 minutes. He’s averaging 6.3 points and 4.1 rebounds.
10. Odds & Ends: KenPom.com gives Dayton a 39% chance of winning and predicts a 71-68 score. Dayton fell from No. 26 to No. 31 in the Pomeroy ratings after beating UNLV. Cincinnati fell from No. 18 to No. 24 after beating Xavier.
• Dayton is No. 34 in the NCAA Evaluation Tool. Cincinnati is No. 30. This is a Quadrant 1 game for both teams because it’s a neutral court and both teams are in the top 50.
Dayton is 2-2 in Quad 1 games, 1-0 in Quad 2, 1-0 in Quad 3 and 5-0 in Quad 4. Cincinnati is 0-1 in Quad 1, 1-0 in Quad 2, 1-0 in Quad 3 and 6-0 in Quad 4.
• Dayton forward Jacob Conner returned to action Tuesday after missing six games with an ankle injury. He played seven minutes and missed two 3-pointers.
“It was good to have him back in the rotation,” Grant said. “He hasn’t really had a whole lot that he’s been able to do with the group, so he didn’t have his legs today. But I think just him getting out there and getting some minutes was good.”
FRIDAY’S GAME
Dayton vs. Cincinnati, 8:30 p.m., ESPNU, 1290, 95.7
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