Dayton finds “mojo” late; Xavier awaits…
No offense to the University of Dayton men’s basketball seniors, but I hope tonight was the last time I see them on the UD Arena floor. I hope the Flyers get that NCAA bid. But it’s going to take at least two more wins.
Tuesday was a start though.
After the meltdown that was St. Louis on Saturday, Dayton’s 70-60 win over George Washington in the opening round of the A-10 Tournament on Tuesday was a cure. Lets just forget the Flyers fell behind 13-4 out of the gate and let a 44-33 lead evaporate with under five minutes left. Forget it. It’s over. And Dayton won. By 10.
The prize? Another meeting with Xavier.
The last time these two played, Dayton wiped Blackburn Court with the Musketeers to the tune of 90-65.
Since then the Flyers have gone 4-5.
Can Dayton beat Xavier? Yes. Will they? Depends which team shows up. Do they HAVE to? Yes.
Tip is 6:30 p.m. Friday and will be televised live by WHIO TV Channel 7.
In reality Flyer faithful, Dayton’s opening NCAA Tournament game is a little more than 48 hours away.
NIT Tickets
So the consolation in this equation is the NIT. I remember in the not so distant past when a bid to the NIT was a benchmark for this program. This year it would be a silver medal, BUT it would still mean a postseason bid and in actuality a real chance at a title. It would also mean potential revenue through championship apparel and speaking of $, it would also mean another HOME game. With a win in the first round – depending on seeding – Dayton could host a second round game too…and third.
As far as potential NIT opponents…should that be the route, how about first round possibilities such as: Cleveland State, Akron, Central Michigan, Miami…and yes, Wright State!
NIT potential second and quarterfinal round opponents could be: Cincinnati, Michigan, Northwestern, Minnesota and Notre Dame. Imagine…in UD Arena? Wow…
Lets remember, this is all “worst case scenario.”
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