On the way into UD’s Cronin Center on Wednesday for Dayton Flyers football and men’s soccer interviews, I ran into a couple members of Anthony Grant’s staff. I made the mistake of saying Saturday’s game against Northwestern should be fun. Fun is probably not the best adjective to describe a difficult early-season matchup. My dad always bristles when someone asks if his long backpacking trips are fun. They’re an experience for sure, but too difficult to be fun. I would say the same about the Ironman triathlon I did 10 years ago or caring for a 6-year-old. The coaches, one of whom had just watched film of Northwestern’s season-opening 90-46 rout of Lehigh, certainly have the same feelings. Having said that, it will be a “fun” night at UD Arena this weekend for a number of reasons: • Northwestern ranks 35th in the Ken Pomeroy ratings. That makes it the highest-ranked opponent to play the Flyers on Tom Blackburn Court since No. 19 Virginia Tech in December 2021. • Prior to Northwestern, the last non-conference opponent to play Dayton at UD Arena one year after making the NCAA tournament was Vanderbilt, which lost 68-63 at Dayton in December 2016. • Dayton hasn’t played a Big Ten team in a regular-season home game since facing Northwestern in 1997. • Dayton lost to Northwestern on a neutral court in December 2016 and on Northwestern’s home court last November and hasn’t beaten the Wildcats since that 1997 game. This game will set the early tone for Dayton’s season. A win will give Dayton a good chance of heading to the Maui Invitational with a 5-0 record. A loss will raise questions about Dayton’s ability to beat the tougher non-conference opponents ahead on the schedule. North Carolina, Auburn/Iowa State (one of whom Dayton will play on the second day of the Maui Invitational), Marquette and Cincinnati all rank higher than Northwestern in the first week of the season. A strong opening statement I talked to a big Dayton fan before the season opener Monday at UD Arena. He asked me for my season prediction. I said the Flyers would finish 22-9 in the regular season. He then told me he expected Dayton to win 13 games. The fan did not want his name associated with that prediction, so he will remain anonymous. I think Dayton could sleepwalk through the season and win 13 games by default. The fan did make that prediction before Dayton routed Saint Francis 87-57 at UD Arena. The disappointing performances against Xavier and Ashland in the preseason were still fresh in his mind. The biggest positives I saw Monday were: • Dayton showed it can win without Nate Santos, who’s expected to lead the team in scoring, shooting well (1 of 9 for four points). • Malachi Smith delivered a strong performance (11 points and six assists) in his first regular-season game in a year despite not seeing the court in the first 10 minutes. • Dayton won big without shooting well from 3-point range (8 of 32, 25%). • Jacob Conner started his Dayton career by making three straight 3-pointers. • Dayton played faster than it did last season, rebounded well and was active on defense, forcing turnovers and turning them into fast-break baskets on the other end. A big weekend on campus for UD athletics Another Dayton fan I talked to Monday, Flyer Faithful legend John Raponi, had just completed his third lap around UD Arena when I ran into him in the parking lot before the game. He walks the perimeter multiple times before each game, counting steps all the way. He’s always one of the first fans to enter the building. Raponi was one of 13,407 fans who helped Dayton sell out its 60th straight game Monday. Every game will be a sellout for the fourth straight season. The streak will reach 77 games in March. Dayton will put a 17-game home winning streak on the line Saturday, and the game against Northwestern is only one event on a busy weekend on campus. On Friday night, the Dayton women’s basketball team, Dayton volleyball team and Dayton men’s soccer team all play at home. All the games start at 7. • The women’s basketball team, which opened the season with a 75-70 victory against Southeast Missouri State on Tuesday, plays Delaware State at UD Arena. • The 19th-ranked Dayton volleyball team (24-1, 14-0) takes a 17-match winning streak into a match at 7 p.m. Friday against Davidson at the Frericks Center. The teams play again at 2 p.m. Saturday. • The fifth-ranked men’s soccer team, which has climbed 20 spots in the national poll in the last two weeks, plays No. 7 seed Davidson (6-6-5, 4-4) in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament at Baujan Field. I’m going to cover the soccer game tonight and try to squeeze in some time at the volleyball match next door. Here’s other news that might interest Flyer fans: 🏀 Former Dayton guard Koby Brea picked up right where he left off last season in his first game with the Kentucky Wildcats. He scored 18 points and made 4 of 4 3-pointers Monday in a 103-62 victory against Wright State. He even celebrated one 3 before the ball went through the net. 🏀 Former Dayton forward Zimi Nwokeji started his first game at Jacksonville, tallying seven points and five rebounds Monday in a 78-65 victory against Trinity Baptist. 🏀 The Dayton Flyers YouTube channel featured a 32-minute season preview Sunday titled “Building the Foundation: The Blueprint.” What do you want to know about the Flyers? I want to hear from you. Reach out to me directly at david.jablonski@coxinc.com with your questions and feedback on the team or this newsletter. Also be sure to follow our Flyer Nation Facebook page for the latest news on the team. I’ll have updates, photos and videos on Twitter, as well. | 
