Cincinnati, Dayton renew series after 13-year hiatus

Field Level Media|published: Fri 15th December, 19:09 2023

Dec 12, 2023; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats guard Day Day Thomas (1) dribbles against Bryant Bulldogs guard Tyler Brelsford (2) in the second half at Fifth Third Arena. credits: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

A longtime rivalry will be rekindled when Dayton visits Cincinnati on Saturday evening.

The schools, which are separated by about 50 miles in southwest Ohio, have played each other 91 times. But this is their first meeting since 2010, and it is scheduled to take place on a semi-neutral court at the Heritage Bank Center in downtown Cincinnati rather than on the Bearcats' campus.

Both teams have enjoyed hot starts to the season. Cincinnati (8-1) is off to its most successful start since the 2018-19 campaign, and Dayton (7-2) is riding a four-game winning streak.

Cincinnati coach Wes Miller expects a festive crowd packed with fans from both teams.

"I know Dayton fans are going to be there in droves," Miller said. "I believe Bearcat fans will, too. We're looking forward to making sure it's as close to a home game as possible."

The Bearcats are led by Viktor Lakhin, who is averaging a team-high 14.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. Day Day Thomas is next on the scoring list with 11.3 points per game, and he has provided tenacity on defense with a team-high 1.9 steals per game.

Three other players for Cincinnati are averaging double digits in scoring: John Newman III (10.8 points per game), Dan Skillings Jr. (10.7) and Jizzle James (10.3), who is the son of longtime NFL running back Edgerrin James.

Dayton also boasts a talented roster led by DaRon Holmes II, who is averaging 16.3 points and 6.9 rebounds. Nate Santos is averaging 12.8 points to go along with 6.9 boards, and Koby Brea is next with an average of 11.8 points per game.

Flyers coach Anthony Grant said he looked forward to renewing the rivalry.

"We're excited about the opportunity," Grant said. "They're a very good team, a very well-coached team and playing very well. ...

"For our guys, it's been a busy week with finals and everything that they've got going on. But these last couple of days, we've been able to watch (Cincinnati) on film, and we'll try to translate the information to our guys to get prepared."

The Bearcats have won 15 of the past 18 meetings.

—Field Level Media