The University of Cincinnati has renewed the longtime rivalry between Dayton and UC as the Bearcats prepare to take on the Flyers at this years “Hoops Classic” presented by Altafiber on December 16th at Heritage Bank Arena in downtown Cincinnati BDG Sports announced.
“We are in a part of the country that is rich in college basketball tradition. It is one of the things I love about being the head coach at Cincinnati, the pride and passion of our fan base. When you can put two of those programs together, it’s a special thing in non-conference play,” said Wes Miller. “I didn’t realize how close Dayton was when I moved to Cincinnati. I am very aware of the tradition that is Dayton basketball, I think it will be great for the city of Cincinnati as well as our program to play a high-powered program, led by a great coach in Anthony Grant right here in Cincinnati.”
Typically, in college basketball non-conference games are usually consisting of a home-and-home series, but this matchup will take place at Heritage Bank Arena in Downtown Cincinnati at a neutral site. “I think the administration on both ends got together to decide what the best place for where to have this game take place,” said Dayton head coach Anthony Grant on how this matchup came together.
This is a one-year agreement with a second-year option for the 2024 season. BDG Sports announced. However, BDG Sports President Brooks Downing said, “The option is there, but there is no commitment as of yet.”
This will be the teams’ first meeting since 2010 where the Bearcats defeated the Flyers 68-34 at the Shoe. Cincinnati currently leads the all-time series 61-30 with the last meeting coming back in December of 2010 where the Bearcats defeated the Flyers 68-34. This is the third longest rivalry in program history for both respected universities, as Cincinnati has only played Miami (OH) [149 games] and Louisville (99 games) more in program history.
