Cincinnati ? Warming up before the tipoff, power forward Jason Maxiell glanced over at Dayton’s coach and noticed that he was looking back.

Cincinnati’s top player figured that could mean only one thing — the Bearcats’ pressure was already working.

Maxiell scored 19 points, setting the tone with four early jumpers, and the 14th-ranked Bearcats turned up the full-court pressure to stagger No. 23 Dayton, 82-53, Tuesday night.

Cincinnati (7-0) put all of its depth and muscle into the press as it dominated its toughest opponent yet. The Bearcats forced 17 turnovers in the first half alone, and all Dayton coach Brian Gregory could do was watch his veteran team unravel under pressure.

The Bearcats think the pressure got to Dayton even before it started.

“Their coach looked scared before the game,” Maxiell said. “He wasn’t paying attention to his team warming up, he was looking at us. He looked pale.”

Gregory, in his first year as the Flyers’ coach, joked that he always looks pale. He had no explanation for why his team paled so much in comparison.

The flustered Flyers (9-1) threw away their best season-opening streak since 1955-56. Dayton won its first nine by surviving a few close calls against overmatched teams, including two-point wins over Wagner and IUPUI.

They weren’t ready for the Bearcats’ press.

Cincinnati's James White (21) celebrates as he runs off the court during a timeout against Dayton. Cincy won, 82-53, Tuesday in Cincinnati.

“They came out and had something to prove and did a very good job of it,” Gregory said. “They can play so many guys, and they keep replenishing that speed and quickness on the court.”

The Flyers had a season-high 28 turnovers, extending their futility in Cincinnati. They haven’t won on the Bearcats’ home court since 1971, a streak of 15 consecutive losses.

Sean Finn led Dayton with 17 points, and Mark Jones added 13.

The Bearcats used the game as a measuring stick. They wanted not only to beat their toughest opponent yet, but to dominate.

“We knew we could make a statement by beating this team handily,” point guard Nick Williams said.

Dayton turned the ball over on six of its first eight possessions, helping the Bearcats take control. Maxiell, who scored only nine points in his last game, hit four jumpers in the first 1:55 for a 10-1 lead.

No. 2 Kentucky 101, Eastern Kentucky 72

Lexington, Ky. — Gerald Fitch scored 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting, and Erik Daniels had 15 points, seven rebounds and a career-high eight assists as Kentucky routed Eastern Kentucky. Cliff Hawkins had 16 points, and Kelenna Azubuike added 13 for Kentucky (7-0), which has won 27 consecutive regular-season games since an 81-63 loss to Louisville last Dec. 28. The Wildcats and Cardinals play Saturday at Rupp Arena. Kentucky shot 64 percent (43 of 67) and had a season-high 28 assists.

No. 4 Georgia Tech 90, Marist 40

Atlanta — Georgia Tech matched the best start in school history with its 11th straight victory. Isma’il Muhammad led a balanced scoring attack with 16 points for Georgia Tech (11-0). The Yellow Jackets got also got 13 points each from from B.J. Elder and Luke Schenscher in equaling the 11 straight wins to open the season by the 1962-63 team.

No. 20 Louisville 107, VMI 56

Louisville, Ky. — Taquan Dean scored a career-high 31 points on a record-breaking flurry of three-pointers, and Louisville took a 16-0 lead en route to a victory over turnover-plagued VMI. The sophomore guard hit nine three-pointers in 12 attempts in the Cardinals’ 700th game in Freedom Hall, their home since 1956.

No. 24 Maryland 85, UNC-Greensboro 58

College Park, Md. — Nik Caner-Medley scored 19 points to lead four players in double figures, and Maryland used a suffocating defense to beat UNC-Greensboro.