Date Surfaces For Major Bearcats Basketball Rivalry Game During 2026-27 Season

Cincinnati has faced this team plenty of times and gets to play them in traditional fashion again.

Dec 5, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; The shoes worn by Cincinnati Bearcats forward Baba Miller (18) are seen during the game against the Xavier Musketeers in the first half at the Cintas Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

The Bearcats basketball team reportedly has a date set for its first battle at Dayton in over 20 years. WDTN's Joey DeBerardino reported on Tuesday that Cincinnati is playing the Flyers inside UD Arena on Saturday, November 14.

It figures to be a nice early test in the non-conference slate for Jerrod Calhoun's new team. The Bearcats are ranked 37th in Bart Torvik's early 2026-27 predictions, while the Flyers sit at 70th overall.

"Dayton men's basketball has announced that the return of its home-and-home series with Cincinnati will be Saturday. Nov. 14. The Bearcats return to UD Arena for the first time since 2004, after having met the Flyers in each of the last 3 seasons at Heritage Bank Arena," DeBerardino posted on X.

Calhoun has been busy hitting the portal and amassing talent for his first team at Cincinnati. He's ready to make a statement this fall with all of the facilities at his disposal.

“I think the university as a whole has changed so much since I've been here," Calhoun said to WCPO in April. "I think we have a lot to offer. And I'm very, very happy with my decision. I've been here a couple of weeks. Obviously, it's chaotic, but the theme that I've heard from the fans, from the student body, is that they want one thing: They want to be back in the NCAA Tournament. We don't play college basketball to go to The Crown or to the NIT. You know, as Coach Huggins would say, the not-invited tournament, right? This is a real program, and we need to strive to get in the tournament, but really make runs in the tournament, and we have everything we need to do that here at Cincinnati.”

On top of the Dayton news, CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein reported over the weekend that Cincinnati is also slated to play Xavier at home on Dec. 5 to try to take back a series they've been dominated in of late. Xavier's won 10 of the past 13 matchups.

Dayton is a different story, with Cincinnati having won two of the past three outings and 46-17 overall since 1949. They've played Dayton the sixth-most times of any UC opponent in the country during that span.

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