DAYTON – The University of Dayton announced its men's basketball non-conference schedule today, featuring eight home games and five neutral site games in three events -- the Maui Invitational, the Chicago Legends and the Jerry Colangelo Classic in Phoenix.

The 2019-20 season will be the 50th anniversary season for the University of Dayton Arena.  The Arena, which opened on Dec. 6, 1969, is also in the final stages of a $75 million Transformation Project that will be completed by the end of October.  

Not counting the potential opponents in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational (which has an impressive field of BYU, Chaminade, Dayton, Georgia, Kansas, Michigan State, UCLA and Virginia Tech):
•    All 10 single-game non-conference opponents won 12 or more games last season
•    All 10 return three or more starters
•    7 have at least four starters back, and one – Colorado – returns all five
•    7 finished with at least a .500 record (and two more were one-game under .500)
•    5 return their leading scorer from a year ago
•    5 had at least 20 wins
•    All of these numbers are improvements over last year's non-conference schedule

Dayton opens the regular season at home against Indiana State on Saturday, Nov. 9. A week later, UD will host Charleston Southern on Saturday, Nov. 16 in the mainland game of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational.  The Flyers then play Omaha on Tuesday, Nov. 19 before traveling to Hawai'i for the Maui Invitational. 

UD will play the first game of the tournament in Maui against Georgia on Monday, Nov. 25.  Dayton will face either Michigan State or Virginia Tech on Tuesday, Nov. 26.  The final games of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational will be played on Wednesday, Nov. 27.

Dayton returns home to play Houston Baptist on Tuesday, Dec. 3, and then heads back not quite so far west to meet Saint Mary's in the Jerry Colangelo Classic on Sunday, Dec. 8. The Colangelo Classic will be played in Phoenix at Talking Stick Resort Arena, the home of the Phoenix Suns.  

The Flyers are home for two games – Drake (Saturday, Dec. 14) and North Texas (Tuesday, Dec. 17) – before playing at another NBA arena on Saturday, Dec. 21.  UD will meet Colorado in the Chicago Legends doubleheader at the United Center.  

UD then has two more home games to close the non-conference schedule – Grambling (Monday, Dec. 23) and North Florida (Monday, Dec. 30). 

The Flyers' preseason exhibition opponent has not been finalized, but the game will be played on Saturday, Nov. 2.

Game times will be announced at a later date, as will the complete Atlantic 10 schedule.

Dayton was 21-12 and reached the NIT in Anthony Grant's second season as the Dayton head coach. UD was third in the Atlantic 10 Conference with a 13-5 record.  Dayton was second in the nation as a team in field goal percentage (.504, 902 of 1789).  That was also the best single-season FG% in school history.

The Flyers return three starters and will add five veteran redshirts in 2019-20.   Included in the starters are All-Atlantic 10 performers Obi Toppin (2019 Rookie of the Year and First Team All-A-10), and junior guard Jalen Crutcher (Third Team All-A-10).  Also returning are 2018-19 co-captains Trey Landers and Ryan Mikesell.