Dayton Flyers Aim for NIT Success Against Chattanooga Saturday

DAYTON, Ohio — The Dayton Flyers will face the Chattanooga Mocs on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. at McKenzie Arena in Tennessee as they look to advance further in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). This comes after Dayton’s recent victory against Florida Atlantic at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.

The Flyers, seeded first in the NIT, have been on the road since 2010, with their last home game in the tournament coming during a first-round match against Illinois State. Coach Anthony Grant focused on the present, saying, “One game at a time. We’re excited about this win, and we’ll get them hopefully back tonight safely and get prepared for our next game.”

Dayton has had a challenging journey, losing its last 11 NIT games away from Dayton. If they are successful against Chattanooga, they will likely head back to UD Arena for a quarterfinal game against either George Mason or Bradley.

Chattanooga, currently 25-9, has shown resilience, coming off a triple-overtime win against Middle Tennessee State. Coach Dan Earl praised the two teams’ effort in a gripping match, stating, “It was really fun to see a hard-fought game by both teams… I thought we fought tremendously hard.”

The Mocs have had a strong season, claiming a 15-3 record to win the Southern Conference regular-season championship. This marks its first appearance in the NIT since 1987, which adds to the stakes of Saturday’s game.

In their previous matchup, Dayton holds an 8-3 edge over Chattanooga but lost the last meeting in 2015 by a narrow margin. Chattanooga’s guard Honor Huff leads the team with an average of 14.9 points per game, while Dayton will rely on its high-scoring players to maintain their path through the tournament.

As fans anticipate the game, with many hoping to cheer at home, this matchup could echo past encounters and spark the Flyers’ momentum in the NIT.