Dayton will play Missouri Valley Conference team in 2019-20 season opener

Flyers have won 14 straight season openers

The Dayton Flyers will open the 2019-20 season Nov. 9 against Indiana State at UD Arena, UD Athletic Director Neil Sullivan said Monday.

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The Flyers will play an exhibition game against an opponent to be determined a week earlier on Nov. 2. That will be the first chance for fans to see the arena after the completion of the final phase of the three-year, $72 million renovation project.

Dayton has never played Indiana State. The Sycamores finished 15-16 last season and ranked 204th in the NCAA Evaluation Tool. They have suffered five straight losing seasons but return their top four leading scorers.

Dayton is 49-40 against the Missouri Valley Conference. It last placed an MVC team in the regular season in 2013 when it lost 81-75 at Illinois State. Illinois State beat Dayton 74-73 a year earlier at UD Arena.

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Dayton also played an MVC team, Wichita State, in the first round of the 2017 NCAA tournament, losing 64-58. The Shockers moved to the American Athletic Conference the next season.

Indiana State is the second known opponent on Dayton’s non-conference schedule. The Flyers will play Colorado on Dec. 21 in the Chicago Legends event at the United Center.

Dayton also will play Nov. 25-27 in the Maui Invitational for the first time since 2013. Possible opponents include BYU, Georgia, Kansas, Michigan State, UCLA, Virginia Tech and host Chaminade.

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