Last year, they went 4-1 against teams from the power conferences on the non-conference schedule, knocking off Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Alabama and Iowa. In the last nine seasons, Dayton is 30-12 against teams from the ACC, Big Ten, SEC, Pac 12 and Big 12.
Dayton knows how important the non-conference schedule is to its goal of making the NCAA tournament. That's why it took so long for the schedule to come together this season. UD released the schedule Sept. 6. It was the 263rd team of 351 in Division I to do so.
“Scheduling is such an important cog,” Dayton coach Archie Miller said. “Every decision we make is really really important. We just had a really hard time finding an opponent that would come play us here. I think in general the vibe we get is people don’t want to travel to UD Arena. In this day and age, it doesn’t make a ton of sense because of the sheer fact that you have to get good games to make the tournament. Moving forward, we’re going to have to be creative with our model. We’re trying to schedule a schedule that at the end of the day puts us in a position like last year where the NCAA tournament isn’t even a question.”
Here’s a look at the games on Dayton’s non-conference schedule. They are ranked in order of difficulty from hardest to easiest. The list doesn’t include two games Dayton will play in the Wooden Legacy tournament because those opponents won’t be known until the tournament begins, though we will analyze the field of that event later in this series.
1. Saint Mary’s
When: 2 p.m., Nov. 19 (TV TBA)
Where: UD Arena
Last year's record: 29-6. Advanced to NIT quarterfinals.
Last year's RPI: 29
This year's Ken Pomeroy rating: 18
Chance of UD win according to Ken Pomeroy: 56 percent
Predicted finish in conference: Picked first by MidMajorMadness.com.
Series history: Dayton leads 1-0. UD won 69-50 on Dec. 14, 1957, at the UD Fieldhouse.
Top returner: Emmett Naar, a 6-foot-1 junior guard, averaged 14.0 points and shot 41.8 percent from 3-point range. He was one of four double-digit scorers.
Notes: The Gaels rank 19th in the USA Today preseason coaches poll. They are coming off the winningest season in school history and return five starters and four other letterwinners. They won their third West Coast Conference regular-season title since 2011 but lost 85-75 to Gonzaga in the conference tournament. … The Gaels have seven players from Australia. … This is the first game in a two-game series. Dayton will play at Saint Mary's in 2017-18.
2. Alabama
When: 1 p.m., Nov. 15 (ESPN2)
Where: Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Last year's record: 18-15. Lost in first round of NIT.
Last year's RPI: 79
This year's Ken Pomeroy rating: 73
Chance of UD win according to Ken Pomeroy: 53 percent
Predicted finish in conference: Seventh in SEC preseason poll
Series history: Dayton leads 3-1. The Flyers won 80-48 on Nov. 17, 2015.
Top returner: Shannon Hale, a 6-8 forward, averaged 11.2 points and 3.0 rebounds. He's the only returning player who averaged in double figures last season.
Notes: This is the second game for both teams. Alabama opens the season at home Nov. 11 against Coastal Carolina, and it's the second straight season the teams have played on a Tuesday afternoon during ESPN's Tipoff Marathon … Alabama beat four top-25 teams last season: No. 20 Wichita State; No. 17 Notre Dame; No. 19 South Carolina; and No. 15 Texas A&M. … This is the second season for head coach Avery Johnson. His son Avery Johnson Jr. will play after transferring from Texas A&M and sitting out last season. Memphis transfer Nick King will also play after sitting out last season. Grad transfers Corban Collins (Morehead State) and Bola Olaniyan (Southern Illinois) can play immediately. … Alabama set a school record by averaging 13,110 fans last season.
3. Northwestern
When: 7 p.m., Dec. 17 (Big Ten Network)
Where: United Center, Chicago
Last year's record: 20-12
Last year's RPI: 117
This year's Ken Pomeroy rating: 61
Chance of UD win according to Ken Pomeroy: 61 percent
Predicted finish in conference: Picked to finish eighth out of 14 teams by Sports Illustrated.
Series history: Dayton leads 2-1. The Flyers won 73-66 at UD Arena in 1972 and 77-69 at UD Arena in 1997 and lost 64-57 at Northwestern in 1998.
Top returner: Bryant McIntosh, a 6-3 junior guard, averaged 13.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and ranked ninth in the nation with 6.7 assists per game. He set a school record with 213 assists.
Notes: This is the first of two games at the State Farm Chicago Legends event. Illinois plays BYU in the second game. This will be the first game at the United Center for UD's Chicago natives: Kyle Davis, Kendall Pollard and Josh Cunningham. … Northwestern lost its leading scorer, guard Tre Demps (15.7 points per game), to graduation. … Former Duke star Chris Collins enters his fourth season. Northwestern has increased its win total in each of his first three seasons from 14 to 15 to 20. … Of the 160 teams that have been playing Division I basketball since 1948-49, Northwestern is one of five that hasn't played in the NCAA tournament. Army, The Citadel, St. Francis of Brooklyn and William & Mary are the others.
4. Vanderbilt
When: 7 p.m., Dec. 21 (TWC SportsChannel)
Where: UD Arena
Last year's record: 19-14
Last year's RPI: 71
This year's Ken Pomeroy rating: 64
Chance of UD win according to Ken Pomeroy: 74 percent
Predicted finish in conference: Sixth in SEC preseason poll.
Series history: Vanderbilt leads 4-1. Dayton won 72-67 on Dec. 9, 2015, in Nashville.
Top returner: Luke Kornet, a 7-1 senior forward, was named to the All-SEC preseason second team. He averaged 8.9 points and 7.3 rebounds and led the SEC with 3.0 blocks per game.
Notes: This is the first season for head coach Bryce Drew, who left Valparaiso after five seasons. Kevin Stallings left Vanderbilt after 17 seasons to take the job at Pittsburgh. … Vanderbilt lost junior center Damian Jones to the NBA draft. He ranks 24th in school history with 1,313 points. … Matthew Fisher-Davis, a 6-5 junior guard, is the top returning scorer (9.7). He led the SEC in 3-point shooting percentage (44.6).
5. Nebraska
When: 8:30 p.m., Nov. 24 (ESPNU)
Where: Titan Gym, Anaheim, Calif.
Last year's record: 16-18
Last year's RPI: 164
This year's Ken Pomeroy rating: 87
Chance of UD win according to Ken Pomeroy: 70 percent
Predicted finish in conference: Picked 12th by Sports Illustrated.
Series history: First meeting.
Top returner: Tai Webster, a 6-4 senior guard, averaged 10.1 points and 4.1 rebounds.
Notes: This is Dayton's opening game at the Wooden Legacy tournament. The winner plays Portland or UCLA in the second round on Nov. 25. UD will play Texas A&M, Cal State Northridge, New Mexico or Virginia Tech in the final round Nov. 27. … Head coach Tim Miles, who is 63-67, enters his fifth season. Nebraska finished 19-13 in 2013-14. That was its last winning record. It has won 20 games in a season once in the last 17 seasons, finishing 20-13 in 2007-08. … Andrew White III, the team's second-leading scorer, graduated and transferred to Syracuse for his final season. Nebraska graduated its leading scorer Shavon Shields. White III and Shields combined to average 33.4 points per game. … Sophomore forward Ed Morrow played at Simeon Career Academy with UD's Pollard.
6. Winthrop
When: 2 p.m., Dec. 3 (TV TBA)
Where: UD Arena
Last year's record: 23-9
Last year's RPI: 131
This year's Ken Pomeroy rating: 129
Chance of UD win according to Ken Pomeroy: 88 percent
Predicted finish in conference: Picked to win the Big South Conference and received all 30 first-place votes in preseason poll.
Series history: Dayton leads 3-0. The Flyers won 76-49 in 1999, 73-58 in 2010 and 81-47 in 2014. All the games have been played at UD Arena.
Top returner: Keon Johnson a 5-7 senior guard from Mansfield, Ohio, is the preseason pick for Big South Player of the Year. He finished second in the league in scoring last season with 20.2 points per game.
Notes: Cincinnati native and Xavier grad Pat Kelsey enters his fifth season as head coach. He's 76-52. … Winthrop lost 77-68 to UNC Asheville in the Big South title game last season. … Xavier Cooks, a 6-8 junior guard/forward, made the Big South preseason second team. He averaged 14.7 points and a team-high 7.1 rebounds. … Winthrop has three players from Cincinnati on the roster.
7. East Tennessee State
When: 2 p.m., Dec. 10 (TV TBA)
Where: UD Arena
Last year's record: 24-12
Last year's RPI: 83
This year's Ken Pomeroy rating: 182
Chance of UD win according to Ken Pomeroy: 92
Predicted finish in conference: Picked second in Southern Conference behind Chattanooga.
Series history: Tied 1-1. Dayton won 78-74 at UD Arena in 2008. ETSU won 73-68 at UD Arena in 2010.
Top returner: T.J. Cromer, a 6-3 senior guard, averaged 14.9 points per game and made the All-Southern Conference first team.
Notes: Dayton hosted Southern Conference champ Chattanooga last season and lost 61-59. … Hanner Mosquera-Perea, a 6-9 senior forward from Colombia, sat out last season after transferring from Indiana. He averaged 6.5 points as a junior at Indiana. Peter Jurkin, a 7-0 senior center, also played two seasons at Indiana. … Former Wichita State and Tennessee assistant Steve Forbes enters his second season as head coach.
8. VMI
When: 7 p.m., Dec. 23 (TWC SportsChannel)
Where: UD Arena
Last year's record: 9-21
Last year's RPI: 317
This year's Ken Pomeroy rating: 266
Chance of UD win according to Ken Pomeroy: 97 percent
Predicted finish in conference: Picked last of 10 teams.
Series history: Dayton leads 3-0. The Flyers won 76-60 in 1974, 84-56 in 1991 and 85-73 in 1993.
Top returner: Senior guard Q.J. Peterson was named to the All-Southern Conference preseason first team. He led the league in scoring (19.8).
Notes: Dan Earl, a former Navy and Penn State assistant, enters his second season as head coach. … The Keydets lost 89-62 at Ohio State last season. … Their last winning season came in 2013-14 (22-13), the last season they were in the Big South before moving to the Southern Conference.
9. Austin Peay
When: 7 p.m., Nov. 11 (TWC SportsChannel)
Where: UD Arena
Last year's record: 18-18
Last year's RPI: 189
This year's Ken Pomeroy rating: 292
Chance of UD win according to Ken Pomeroy: 98 percent
Predicted finish in conference: Picked third in the Ohio Valley Conference West Division.
Series history: Dayton leads 3-0. The Flyers won 101-94 in 1991, 76-61 in 2001 and 78-62 in 2006. All the games have been played at UD Arena.
Top returner: Josh Robinson, a 6-2 junior guard, earned a spot on the All-OVC preseason team. He averaged 16.9 points per game last season.
Notes: Dave Loos enters his 27th season as head coach. He's 409-391. Austin Peay's last winning season (20-14) came in 2010-11. … The Governors made the NCAA tournament last season by winning the OVC tournament as a No. 8 seed. They won four games in four days, beating Tennessee-Martin 83-73 in the championship game. In the NCAA tournament, No. 16 seed Austin Peay lost 105-79 to No. 1 seed Kansas.
10. St. Joseph’s College
When: 7 p.m., Dec. 6 (TWC SportsChannel)
Where: UD Arena
Last year's record: 9-19.
Last year's RPI: NA
This year's Ken Pomeroy rating: NA
Chance of UD win according to Ken Pomeroy: NA
Predicted finish in conference: Picked eighth in the Great Lakes Valley Conference East Division.
Series history: First meeting.
Top returner: Davone Daniels, a 6-2 junior guard, averaged a team-high 11 points per game.
Notes: St. Joseph's is a Division II program located in Rensselaer, Ind. The Pumas averaged 80 points per game last season.
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