Dayton to play Pitt in lone ‘secret scrimmage,’

Teams will meet Oct. 27 at Denison University’s gym.

The Dayton Flyers DAYTON — men’s basketball team will play the Pittsburgh Panthers in a scrimmage on Oct. 27, according to a source.

The annual “secret scrimmage” will take place at Denison University’s Livingston Gymnasium in Granville. That’s 108 miles from Dayton and 169 miles from Pittsburgh.

The game matches former Virginia Commonwealth head coaches Anthony Grant, entering his second season with the Flyers, and Jeff Capel, who’s in his first season with the Panthers.

Capel coached VCU from 2002-06. When Capel left VCU to coach at Oklahoma, Grant left an assistant coaching job at Florida to replace him at VCU. Capel was 79-41 in four seasons. Grant was 76-25 in three seasons.

NCAA rules allow Division I teams to scrimmage once. According to the NCAA rulebook, the scrimmage must be “conducted in privacy and without publicity or official scoring. Individuals other than athletics department staff members and those necessary to conduct a basketball practice scrimmage against outside competition may not be present during such a scrimmage. The institution shall ensure that the scrimmage is free from public view.”

Dayton scrimmaged Northern Kentucky last season in Dayton, Purdue in Indianapolis in 2016, Marquette in 2015 in Indianapolis and Illinois in 2014.

Dayton has played two games against Pittsburgh in its history, losing 81-51 in Pittsburgh on Dec. 23, 2006, and beating the Panthers 80-55 on Dec. 29, 2007, at UD Arena.

Pittsburgh was ranked sixth in the latter game and undefeated at the time. Brian Roberts scored 31 points in the upset for Dayton.

Pittsburgh finished 8-24 last season under Kevin Stallings, the former Vanderbilt coach who was fired in March after two seasons. It was the program’s worst season since a 6-21 finish in 1976-77. From 2002-16, Pittsburgh played in the NCAA tournament 13 times in 15 seasons.

Contact this reporter at 937244-7400 or email David. Jablonski@coxinc.com.