Cincinnati will travel north to play at Dayton for the first time in nearly 22 years on Saturday with both teams looking to bounce back from early setbacks.
The Bearcats last played in UD Arena on Dec. 4, 2004 when they produced a 65-55 victory over the Flyers.
Cincinnati (2-1) suffered its first loss under new coach Jerrod Calhoun on Monday, blowing a seven-point lead late before falling 63-61 to visiting Minnesota on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. Facing his first road test, Calhoun knows his veteran squad must rise to the occasion.
“There’s a responsibility with that,” he said. “Day in and day out, you’ve got to perform. There’s going to be pressure situations. There’s going to be big atmospheres. And we’ve got to rise to the occasion.”
Dayton (1-2) is searching for answers after back-to-back home losses to Northern Illinois and Siena, including a 99-point showing by Siena on Tuesday. Coach Anthony Grant emphasized cohesion as his team prepares to face Cincinnati’s solid defense.
“I believe this team is going to be a good team,” Grant said. “We’ve got guys in there that care, number one, and then I think we’ve got guys that are capable of doing more and affecting winning in ways that aren’t showing up right now. We have to play more connected on both sides of the ball.”
Cincinnati guard Tylen Riley (12.0 points per game, 3.7 assists per game) erupted for 25 points on 6-of-9 3-point shooting against Minnesota. He will face a physical test against Dayton freshman Aiden Derkack (22.0 ppg, 10.3 rebounds per game), who has recorded three consecutive double-doubles and averages nearly 10 free-throw attempts per game.
With Jayden Hastings sidelined by a left shoulder injury, Cincinnati will lean on Amani Lyles and its frontcourt rotation to contain Dayton’s 7-foot-1 center Amal L’Etang (15.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg), who has dominated the paint despite early-season struggles from the perimeter.
Bearcats co-leading scorer Myles Colvin (12.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg) will look to stretch the floor against Tristian Ford (13.0 ppg, 61.5 percent 3-point shooting), who provides secondary scoring for the Flyers.
The teams met each of the last three seasons in Cincinnati – twice on neutral courts – with the Bearcats winning two of the contests.
–Field Level Media
