Dayton Flyers vs Cincinnati Bearcats Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 12/20/2024

Game Time: 8:30 pm ET, Friday, December 20, 2024

Venue:  Heritage Bank Center, Cincinnati, OH

Where to Watch:  ESPNU

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Dayton +3.5, Cincinnati -3.5; Over/Under:  139.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Dayton +3.5, Cincinnati -3.5; Over/Under:  139.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Dayton +3.5, Cincinnati -3.5; Over/Under:  139.5 points

Dayton Flyers:  10-2 (0-0) (4th place, A10)

Cincinnati Bearcats:  8-1 (0-0) (2nd place, Big 12)

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Dayton Flyers:  5-0  last 5

Cincinnati Bearcats:  4-1  last 5

Dayton is entering this game with a 10-2 record overall, a 0-0 record in conference games, and they are 0-0 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the UNLV Rebels in their last game. Nate Santos led the team in points per game in that game with 14 while Zed Key was next on the team with 13. Enoch Cheeks led the team in assists with 6 in that game while Enoch Cheeks led the team in rebounds with 10. They were 47.1% from the field, 23.8% from 3-point range, and 81.3% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 78.7 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 67.2 PPG against them. Dayton has an ATS record of 8-3 this season and their O/U record is 8-3.

Cincinnati is entering this game with an 8-1 record overall, a 0-0 conference record, and they are 6-0 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Xavier Musketeers in their last game. Simas Lukosius led the team in points in that game with 14 while Aziz Bandaogo was next on the team with 12. Jizzle James led the team in assists with 5 in that game while Dillon Mitchell led the team in rebounds with 10. They were 37.9% from the field, 25% from 3-point range, and 73.1% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 80.4 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 59.6 PPG against them. Cincinnati has an ATS record of 4-5 this season and their O/U record is 2-7.

The current betting odds have Cincinnati listed as a 3.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Cincinnati has looked really good in their games this season with their 8-1 record overall which has them right near the top of the Big 12 and ranked inside the top 25. They are coming off a nice win over Xavier in their last one and they have looked great on their home court with their 6-0 home record. Meanwhile, Dayton has looked really good in their games this season with their 10-2 record overall which has them right near the top of the Atlantic 10 Conference and ranked inside the top 25 too. They are coming off a win over UNLV in their last one and they also beat Marquette last week, winning some impressive games lately, but this is going to be their first true road game of the season. They have played most of their games at home this season where they are 9-0, and the only time they weren't at home was in a tournament which they went 1-2 in. Now they have to deal with a hostile environment for the first time this season and Cincinnati has been making a lot of strides this season. Dayton has some impressive wins, but this isn't a great situation for them to play their first road game in, especially with how good Cincinnati has looked in their games. Cincinnati has the edge on offense here, but their defensive efforts have also been a lot better than Dayton's and that will be big in this game. The best way to place a bet here is on Cincinnati to cover the spread in this game. 

Dayton Cincinnati Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Friday, December 20, 2024 (8:30 pm ET start time) is Cincinnati 76 Dayton 69.

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Dayton Flyers: 8-3 ATS in all games. 5-1 ATS after playing a home game. 5-0 ATS versus very good teams - outscoring their opponents by 8+ points/game. 7-1 1H UNDER after 1 or more consecutive wins. 6-1 1H UNDER off a home win.

Cincinnati Bearcats: 0-3 ATS versus good shooting teams - making 45% or more of their shots. 0-3 ATS in December games this season. 7-2 UNDER in all games. 7-2 UNDER as a favorite. 5-0 UNDER off a home win. 7-0 UNDER after 1 or more consecutive wins.

Dayton Flyers:  None.

Cincinnati Bearcats:  None.

"This team is a top 10 team in offense in most analytical breakdowns. We're going to be challenged to defend one of the best offenses in America." - Wes Miller on his team’s upcoming game against Dayton. 

“Our guys stayed the course and believed in each other and believed in what we were doing and found a way to get the win. If you’re going to have a season like we think we’re capable of having, you’re going to have to win games like that. I’ve been around for a long time. You look at these types of wins as some of the guttier wins. Everybody wants to talk about when you play the ranked teams, but these are the ones that kind of make you who you are and who you get a chance to become.” - Anthony Grant after his team’s win against UNLV in their game on Tuesday.

J. Bennett 

E. Cheeks 

Z. Key 

N. Santos 

M. Smith

A. Bandaogo 

C. Hickman 

J. James 

S. Lukosius 

D. Mitchell

PPG: E. Cheeks (14.7)

APG: M. Smith (5.9)

Reb/G: E. Cheeks (7.5)

PPG: S. Lukošius (16)

APG: J. James (5.1)

Reb/G: D. Mitchell (7.4)

Coaches:

Dayton Flyers: Anthony Grant (8th season)

Cincinnati Bearcats: Wes Miller (4th season)