10 things to know about Dayton’s A-10 schedule

UD plays VCU, Rhode Island twice for second straight year

The Dayton Flyers won’t play an Atlantic 10 Conference game for almost seven months, but fans can start getting excited and use the time to ponder whether coach Anthony Grant can lead UD to a conference championship in his first season.

The A-10 announced the schedule pairings Wednesday. The full schedule, with dates and times, typically come out late in the summer. Here are 10 things to know about UD’s 18-game schedule:

1. Repeat opponents: Dayton plays five opponents at home and on the road: Duquesne, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Saint Louis and Virginia Commonwealth.

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2. Hosting duties: Dayton plays four teams at UD Arena but not on the road: Davidson, Fordham, George Washington and St. Bonaventure.

3. Travel plan: Dayton plays four teams on the road but not at home: La Salle, George Mason, Richmond and St. Joseph's.

4. Marquee matchups: For the second straight season, UD will play VCU and Rhode Island twice. The Flyers won the regular-season title last season. VCU finished second. Rhode Island, which won the A-10 tournament, was third.

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UD, VCU and Rhode Island were the three teams to represent the A-10 in the NCAA Tournament. VCU and Rhode Island played twice last season and play once this season.

5. No Olean: For the first time since the 2012-13 season, Dayton won't play St. Bonaventure in Olean, N.Y.

6. Philly fun: UD will play two games in Philadelphia against La Salle and St. Joseph's. The Flyers have lost three straight games at La Salle's Tom Gola Arena and eight straight games at St. Joseph's Hagan Arena.

7. Richmond double: Dayton will play in Richmond, Virginia twice: at VCU and at the University of Richmond. The Flyers are 1-2 at VCU's Siegel Center. Dayton ended a six-game losing streak at Richmond's Robins Center in 2016.

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8. Familiar foes: The Flyers will play Duquesne twice for the third straight year and Saint Louis twice for the fourth straight year.

9. New faces: The new opposing coaches in the conference will all bring their teams to UD Arena: Massachusetts' Matt McCall; VCU's Mike Rhoades; Duquesne's Keith Dambrot; and George Washington's Maurice Joseph, who was the interim coach last season.

10. History lesson: This will be the fourth straight year A-10 teams have played 18 conference games. Dayton's 15-3 A-10 record last season was the best mark of a regular-season champion since the move to 18 games. The A-10 played a 16-game schedule from 1993-2014.

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