For coach Anthony Grant and his players, this week is the calm before the “lowd,” the made-up word UD fans use to describe the noise level at the arena. After Saturday’s exhibition, Grant said the team had six preseason practices remaining.
“We’ve still got a lot of stuff that we have to implement, a lot of stuff that we have to prepare for,” Grant said. “It’s like I tell the players, once the games start coming, they’re coming fast and furious. We have to try to be as prepared as we can for stuff that we haven’t seen yet and that we may not see until we get to Charleston. Then you’ve got game, game, off day, game. You don’t have time to install things. We’ve got to use this week to continue to move the needle but also to add stuff so we’re prepared for whatever we’ll see here in the next few weeks.”
Dayton plays seven games in November. Two of the opponents will be determined by the results at the Charleston Classic. Here’s a glance at the five known opponents:
1. SIUE, Nov. 6, 7 p.m., Spectrum News 1: The Cougars rank 240th in the preseason Ken Pomeroy ratings. That makes them Dayton’s third lowest-ranked non-conference opponent, ahead of No. 266 Grambling State and No. 271 Oakland.
SIUE was picked to finish second out of 11 teams in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll. SIUE finished 19-14 last season and upset an Atlantic 10 Conference team in December, rallying from an 18-point deficit to win 69-67 at Saint Louis.
The Cougars return three guards — Ray’Sean Taylor, Damarco Minor and Shamar Wright — who earned OVC preseason honors. They averaged 40.4 points between them last season.
In an exhibition game Sunday, SIUE beat East-West University, a United States Collegiate Athletic Association program, 105-57. Lamar Wright led the Cougars with 15 points. His twin brother Shamar scored 14. The Wrights are the sons of late NBA player Lorenzen Wright.
2. Northwestern, Nov. 10, 8:30 p.m., Big Ten Network: This game at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill., was the highest-profile addition to Dayton’s 2023-24 non-conference schedule. It’s the first game in a two-game series. Northwestern will play at UD Arena in the 2024-25 season. Northwestern was also the last Big Ten team to play the Flyers on their home court in 1997.
Northwestern ranks 40th in the Pomeroy ratings. That makes it the highest-ranked Dayton opponent, though the Flyers could play a higher-ranked opponent in the Charleston Classic.
Northwestern returns four of its top six scorers, including guard Boo Buie, a unanimous All-Big Ten preseason first-team selection. He averaged 17.3 points last season.
Northwestern was picked to finish eighth out of 14 teams in the Big Ten preseason media poll. It plays its lone public preseason exhibition game Wednesday against McKendree. It lost a scrimmage to Iowa State by six points on Saturday, according to reports.
This is the second game of the season for both teams. Northwestern plays Binghamton on Monday.
3. LSU, Nov. 16, 4 p.m., ESPN2: Dayton’s first-round game in the Charleston Classic at TD Arena will play a big part in whether the non-conference season is a success or not because it sets up who it will play in the second (North Texas or St. John’s) and third games (Houston, Towson, Utah or Wake Forest) on Nov. 17 and Nov. 19.
LSU, coming off a 14-19 season, ranks 47th in the Pomeroy ratings. It was picked to finish 13th out of 14 teams in the Southeastern Conference after finishing last a season ago.
LSU beat a NAIA program, Louisiana Christian, 132-44 in an exhibition game Monday. Four newcomers started alongside returning 6-10 forward Jalen Reed: Nevada transfer Will Baker, a 7-0 center; Santa Clara transfer Carlos Stewart, a 6-1 guard; Vanderbilt transfer Jordan Wright, a 6-6 guard; and freshman Mike Williams III, a 6-3 guard. Wright led the Tigers with 22 points.
Jalen Cook, who averaged 19.9 points per game at Tulane last season, did not play in the exhibition. He’s awaiting word on a NCAA waiver decision.
4. Youngstown State, Nov. 24, 7 p.m., TV TBA: Dayton’s sixth game comes one day after Thanksgiving and 18 days after its first home game. It’s the first matchup between the two programs in 40 years.
The Penguins, who will also be playing their sixth game, rank 195th in the Pomeroy ratings. They finished 24-10 last season, breaking the school record for victories by four.
Youngstown State was picked to finish fifth out of 11 teams in the Horizon League this season. Fifth-year senior Brandon Rush, a 6-3 guard who averaged 13.9 points last season, made the preseason All-Horizon League second team.
5. Southern Methodist, Nov. 29, 8 p.m., ESPN+: This game at Moody Coliseum in Dallas will be Dayton’s seventh game and second true road game.
Dayton beat SMU 74-62 in the second game of the 2022-23 season at UD Arena after losing 77-69 in Dallas in December 2021 and 66-64 in Dayton in December 2020.
SMU finished 10-22 last season. It begins the season ranked 92nd in the Pomeroy ratings and was picked to finish seventh out of 14 teams in the American Athletic Conference. Guard Zhuric Phelps, who averaged 17.9 points last season, was named to the preseason second team.
SMU beat Kansas State 83-76 in a scrimmage on Oct. 23, according to reports.
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