The road to March Madness starts Monday, Nov. 2, for college basketball teams.
The Dayton Flyers, Miami RedHawks and Wright State Raiders men's teams all start at the same time, 7 p.m., on the opening night of the regular season.
Looking ahead to the regular season last weekend after his team's final preseason game, 10th-year Dayton coach Anthony Grant said, "What's going through my mind is we have a lot of stuff that we need to still get prepared for — a lot of stuff that we haven't even touched right now — because once the games start coming, they come in rapid succession. It's about just making sure we're as prepared as we can be for the season to get started. So I feel a level of urgency to make sure we're as prepared as we can be."
There's little doubt Miami's sixth-year coach Travis Steele and Wright State's third-year coach Clint Sargent, who both led their programs to the NCAA Tournament last season, feel the same way.
Here's a quick glance at the three local programs heading into the 2026-27 season:
Dayton
Returning players: 8.
Top returner: Amaël L'Etang, a 7-foot-1 junior forward, is the tallest player in UD history. He averaged 11.9 points per game last season.
Newcomers: 9.
Top newcomer: Zaide Lowery, a 6-5 senior guard, averaged 8.1 points last season at Marquette.
Local connection: Dayton has three senior walk-on guards from nearby high schools: Makai Grant, the coach's son, and Evan Dickey graduated from Chaminade Julienne. Will Maxwell is an Oakwood graduate.
Program history: This is the 122nd season of Dayton basketball. The Flyers are 20-21 in 19 NCAA Tournament appearances. They reached the championship game in 1967, losing to UCLA, and the Elite Eight in 1984 and 2014.
State of the program: After reaching the NCAA Tournament in each of coach Archie Miller's final four seasons (2014-17), the Flyers made one appearance (2024) in Grant's tenure, though they would have played in the 2020 tournament if it had not been canceled because of the pandemic. Grant has led the program to one Atlantic 10 Conference regular-season championship, but the Flyers have not won the A-10 tournament since 2003.
Preseason expectations: Dayton was picked to finish third in the A-10 behind Virginia Commonwealth and Saint Louis, who shared the title last season.
Opener: Dayton plays New Jersey Institute of Technology, a program it has never faced, at UD Arena on Monday. NJIT ranks 347th in the preseason Ken Pomeroy ratings. Dayton is No. 63.
Miami
Returning players: 11.
Top returner: Senior guard Evan Ipsaro averaged 13.9 points in 12 games before suffering a season-ending injury.
Newcomers: 6.
Top newcomer: Stevie Elam, a 6-3 sophomore guard, averaged 10.5 points last season at Milwaukee.
Local connection: Centerville graduate Rich Rolf, a 6-7 forward, transferred to Miami after playing two seasons at Charlotte and one at Youngstown State. He averaged 9.1 points last season.
Program history: This is Miami's 122nd season. It is 7-20 in 18 NCAA Tournament appearances. It reached the Sweet 16 in 1958, 1969 and 1999.
State of the program: Miami completed the best season in school history last season, finishing the regular season 31-0. It lost to Massachusetts in the Mid-American Conference tournament. In the NCAA Tournament, it beat Southern Methodist in the First Four at UD Arena and then lost to Tennessee in the first round.
Preseason expectations: Miami is the preseason favorite in the MAC. It received nine of 12 first-place votes.
Opener: Miami plays James Madison in Harrisonburg, Va., on Monday. James Madison ranks 150th in the KenPom.com ratings. Miami is No. 123.
Wright State
Returning players: 5.
Top returner: Kellen Pickett, a 6-9 sophomore forward, averaged 8.5 points last season.
Newcomers: 9.
Top newcomer: CJ O'Hara, a 6-4 junior guard, averaged 14.1 points last season at Green Bay.
Local connection: Isaiah Williams, a Beavercreek graduate, is a sophomore guard. He redshirted last season.
Program history: This is Wright State's 40th season in Division I. The program began in 1970 and won a Division II national championship in 1983. The Raiders are 1-5 in five NCAA Division I tournament appearances. It beat Bryant in the First Four at UD Arena in 2022.
State of the program: Wright State finished 23-12 overall and 15-5 in the Horizon League last season. It won the regular-season and tournament championships and earned its third NCAA Tournament berth in the last nine years.
Preseason expectations: Wright State is the preseason favorite in the Horizon League.
Opener: Wright State plays Air Force at the Nutter Center in the Stars, Stripes and Flight Classic. The game is sold out. Air Force is No. 265 in the Pomeroy ratings. Wright State is No. 157.
