Xavier basketball prepares for outdoor exhibition against UD Flyers

After several months of work relatively out of the public eye, a reloaded Xavier men’s basketball roster will take center stage in a unique setting when the Musketeers face the Dayton Flyers in an outdoor exhibition on Wednesday, Oct. 7.

Xavier will play Dayton and Cincinnati will face Ohio State in the CareSource Invitational at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason. The event will raise awareness and funds for mental health and suicide prevention.

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Home of the Cincinnati Open, the Lindner Family Tennis Center began $260 million renovations shortly after the 2024 tournament with plans to transform the venue into a year-round facility.

There are new indoor tennis courts, six pickleball courts and two padel courts. And now, a basketball takes over Center Court for two games in one night between four of Ohio’s high-major college programs.

More: Here’s how the basketball court at Lindner Family Tennis Center looks

More: Xavier basketball has deeper roster and a key question to answer

For Xavier, it’s the first of three preseason exhibition contests. The Musketeers will get a true road game feel next week when they travel to Knoxville to face a Tennessee Volunteers squad coming off an Elite Eight appearance. Xavier will also host Kent State at Cintas Center on Friday, Oct. 23 before the season-opener against Mount St. Mary’s on Monday, Nov. 2.

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“I wanted to test them early,” second-year head coach Richard Pitino said. “We’ll learn a lot and we need to.”

Xavier Musketeers head coach Richard Pitino coaches in the second half of the NCAA basketball game at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.

What they’re saying about Xavier, Dayton

Dayton is coming off its eighth consecutive winning season, but the Flyers have missed the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back years. Dayton went 25-12 last season and lost in the NIT quarterfinals to Illinois State.

Head coach Anthony Grant is entering his 10th season and is three wins away from 200 for his tenure…

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Publish date : 2026-10-07 14:11:00

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