I'll start off with my favorite team all my life. THE DAYTON FLYERS. Completely robbed in 2020 when NCAA cancelled and Dayton had it's best team ever and best seed on Tourney ever as either a #1 seed or at least a #2 out of 16. That team had Obi Toppin who won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest this year. This years Dayton team has their best recruit ever. The freshman was dominate in Dayton's win over top ranked Davidson to end regular season and make them the #2 seed in the A-10 Tourney this weekend. Dayton is 22 wins a 9 losses, and won a nice Tournament around Thanksgiving in which they beat Miami Hurricanes, Kansas Jayhawks and Belmont Bruins. The only knock on Dayton is their losses at start of season, but Dayton is a young team of Freshman and almost no Seniors or Juniors, so I attribute the slow start to going from High School to College. The did WIN that Tourney by beating Miami, Kansas, Belmont. They did win 22 Games. They did just beat top ranked Davidson. They did finish as the #2 team in The A-10. So the Freshman players came on strong.

Dayton is very much a team outside looking in on the NCAA. It comes down to what Dayton does in the A-10 Tourney. Being #2, they get to skip the first couple days. They don't play until day 3 on Friday. I would hope the NCAA takes more than just one team from the A-10. The A-10 is a good division and some division are over rated in sending too many teams of not very good records. The A-10 is good enough each year for 2 or 3 NCAA teams, maybe 4, certainly not just one.

6'10 " Deron Holmes is the highest ranked UD recruit ever who leads the team. This is a big future NBA starter. A freshman still growing who will dominate in college ball. Malachi Smith gets plenty of playing time leading the team in Assists. Tourmani Camara is a rebounding and Scoring leader with Holmes. Kobe Elvis gets plenty of playing time. Koby Brea is their 3 point leader and averaging over 42 % on hitting from downtown on his 3's.

Coach Grant is very good. He played under Don Donaher Dayton Legend. Coach Grant had THE TEAM in 2020 but covid cancelled NCAA Tourney ruined best season Dayton has ever had. Coach Grant has great Defense, and well run Offense, and Super Great PASSING. Coach Grant teams are great ball handlers, he must work them a lot on Passing, because the Passing under Grant has been one of best Passing teams in USA. This is how they took Kansas into overtime in 2019-2020 and beat Kansas in 2021-2022, with great passes to get the points. So Donaher played under Blackburn and Grant played under Donaher, so the tradition of smart, heads up basketball continues at Dayton. Since Bobby Knight use to use Dayton films to show his Indiana team how to play smart basketball, and Knight hired Donaher at Indiana, Dayton playing smart ball is no small thing. Coach Grant is Blackburn and Donaher only in an updated 2020's game.

Grant seems to be getting amazing recruits. Obi Toppin and now DeRon Holmes. I'll be watching Dayton in the A-10 Championship in Hopes that they force the NCAA to include them. Dayton is 22-9 and the young team of few Seniors and mostly Freshman Stars is coming on Strong. I just hope the NCAA isn't looking to shaft the A-10 by only letting one team in. Davidson and Dayton are playing good enough to Both be in NCAA Tourney.

So who is your college team ? Are you ready for March Madness. Might as well be, there is no Baseball coming in April.

As a kid, I lived next to UD in great grandparents old house, which is still there but Student Housing took over the neighborhood soon after we moved in 1965. I could walk a couple blocks past UD to Holy Angels School next to UD. As kids, we would go on the campus, and would see Dayton basketball players as our neighbors. We had many college student neighbors already in the early 1960's. So my early grade school life was next to UD, and you get caught up in college town atmosphere of Homecomings and such. Dayton has Always been a Basketball School. Dayton outgrew the old Field House and building UD Arena around 1969 and renovating it has made it one of the plush arenas in USA. UD always leads in fan attendance in USA and Dayton has Great Fans going back to 1950's. Having The Marriott next to UD Arena for visiting teams and concerts is a Plus.

So as a 2nd grade kid, I remember Henry Finkle and Tom Blackburn of cancer and then Don Donaher was a great coach taking Dayton DEEP into the NCAA Tourney when the Cinderella School had the team. It's not Kentucky, and Dayton does have it's off years. Dayton does get a top team together now and then to make some noise in the NCAA. Coach Grant having played for Donoher is carrying on the tradition of great Coaching, and it shows. This is not sloppy ball, Dayton plays heads up ball. So my Heart will always be with UD that I grew up next to, although Wright State in Dayton area is also now a favorite. The Arena's are different. At Wright State you come in at the top, so I like seats in the back close to rest rooms and food stands and exits. Front row is a long walk down into the pit. UD is laid out better, you walk in at Mid Level.

So again, who are your NCAA Teams. I went excited about the school I grew up next to and growing up around a college. Who are your Teams in MARCH MADNESS ????

So sick to see Dayton as the very first team out thanks to Richmond pulling the miracle win today. Really hurts even more knowing that Dayton wins that game yesterday if Malachi Smith doesn't get hurt and miss the 2nd half. Well they should be a/the #1 seed in the NIT.

i agree with the obi toppin comment that team in 2020 was really really good and had a legit chance to make a run at the NC. UK got his brother jacob who is a bench player but he plays with a lot of heart like his brother.

seems to me the selection committee wanted the purdue / UK matchup in the s16 then baylor e8 matchup both big teams inside, which if kentucky struggles to hit their shots like they did against tennessee will be an early exit. however i'm very optimistic that UK will make a final 4 and god willing title number 9! GO BIG BLUE!!

(03-13-2022, 11:04 PM)WildCat Wrote: i agree with the obi toppin comment that team in 2020 was really really good and had a legit chance to make a run at the NC. UK got his brother jacob who is a bench player but he plays with a lot of heart like his brother.

seems to me the selection committee wanted the purdue / UK matchup in the s16 then baylor e8 matchup both big teams inside, which if kentucky struggles to hit their shots like they did against tennessee will be an early exit. however i'm very optimistic that UK will make a final 4 and god willing title number 9! GO BIG BLUE!!

Didn't Kentucky do GREAT in SEC this year.  If so, no surprise if Kentucky wins it all. 

Some interesting teams play at UD to start NCAA.  Indiana comes to Dayton.  So does Notre Dame, which is a big deal to Catholics, which UD is.  Also The Fighting Irish with St Patrick's Day the next day and UD area taverns such as Flannagan's, Clancy's, Timothy's, The Irish Pub and such.  However the interesting one is Dayton Area Wright State University is in UD Arena in NCAA.  Dayton had said they were too good to play Wright State, and dumped the cross town rivalry game.  This is not the first time Wright State has made the NCAA and UD hasn't.  I do think this is the first time Wright State has played at UD Arena since Dayton stopped the cross town rivalry 30 years ago. I thought that was a mistake on UD's part, because the transportation expense savings on this game each year switching Arena Sites sounds like a good deal that UD gave up.  On the years you play at Wright State, you add this as an away game, and you eliminate a real away game early in the season. 

So I'm hoping Wright State WINS what is pretty much a home game in not leaving Dayton area.  I now live North of Wright Patterson Air Base and just North of Fairborn.  My hospital of choice now is Soin Hospital next to Wright State down interstate 675 Dayton Bypass.  I live closer to Wright State than UD these days.  So I will root for THE WRIGHT STATE RAIDERS.  Plus the Dayton NIT Game is on ESPN PLUS, and my cable company doesn't have that.  So i hope WRIGHT STATE wins the Play-In game.  Of course they will have to play one of the top NCAA teams in Round One, and will probably get thumped.  at least if they could say they won an NCAA Game in UD Arena, where UD has said they are not good enough to play UD in. 

(03-15-2022, 07:49 AM)kevin Wrote: So I'm hoping Wright State WINS what is pretty much a home game in not leaving Dayton area.  I now live North of Wright Patterson Air Base and just North of Fairborn.  My hospital of choice now is Soin Hospital next to Wright State down interstate 675 Dayton Bypass.  I live closer to Wright State than UD these days.  So I will root for THE WRIGHT STATE RAIDERS.  Plus the Dayton NIT Game is on ESPN PLUS, and my cable company doesn't have that.  So i hope WRIGHT STATE wins the Play-In game.  Of course they will have to play one of the top NCAA teams in Round One, and will probably get thumped.  at least if they could say they won an NCAA Game in UD Arena, where UD has said they are not good enough to play UD in. 

Good for you! I work at WPAFB so this officially makes us neighbors even though I’m south of town in Kettering. I got one of my degrees from Wright State and I remember the Gem City Jam games against the University of Dayton very well. For many years WSU played in NCAA Division II but UD coach Don Donoher promised the Raiders that UD would play them when they moved to Division I — which they did. The Raiders and Flyers have played eight times with UD winning five times. I was at the first game WSU won over UD in the Nutter Center in 1990 and it was among the most amazing moments in sports I’ve ever witnessed.

A restart of the Gem City Jam is long overdue.

(03-15-2022, 05:32 PM)Fan_in_Kettering Wrote: Good for you!  I work at WPAFB so this officially makes us neighbors even though I’m south of town in Kettering.  I got one of my degrees from Wright State and I remember the Gem City Jam games against the University of Dayton very well.  For many years WSU played in NCAA Division II but UD coach Don Donoher promised the Raiders that UD would play them when they moved to Division I — which they did.  The Raiders and Flyers have played eight times with UD winning five times.  I was at the first game WSU won over UD in the Nutter Center in 1990 and it was among the most amazing moments in sports I’ve ever witnessed.

A restart of the Gem City Jam is long overdue

Dayton has long said that they have nothing to gain by playing Wright State.  Wright State has always wanted to play Dayton. Dayton is a Liar.  They schedule teams weaker than Wright State. They play road games against non division teams early not that good.  Dayton needs to have an early season game with Wright State in November or December.  No Travel Expense for either school.   Play one year at UD, next year at Nutter Center.  Dayton has lost their top games such as Notre Dame, DePaul, Marquette, Louisville, Cincinnati, Xavier and rarely play Miami of Ohio.  So Fans lost the games they loved.  So this would give Fans something going into Thanksgiving Christmas Holidays, and before League Play.  The NO TRAVEL is great. No Buses or Planes.  Well, a Bus across Dayton, Big Deal.  Both schools save money on one game of NO TRAVEL, but a FULL HOUSE.  Better than Dayton bringing a real lousy team into UD Arena. Dayton needs to stop being Snobs and Get Smart, this NO TRAVEL GAME is MONEY IN THE BANK. ....It is Stupid NOT to play it. ......Oh Yes, Wright State IS playing at UD Tonight, in the NCAA.  Big Shot Dayton is in NIT in Toledo and on ESPN PLUS that most people won't get or see.  Wright State in NCAA at UD Arena will be on a channel most people get.....So it is time to have Dayton play Wright State every year in a Cross Town Rival Game.  Give THE FANS the game they have been wanting. 

How does Richmond beat Iowa? Credit to Richmond taking advantage of an opportunity that doesn't happen if Malachi Smith doesn't get hurt in the Dayton game because they weren't winning that game otherwise and thus wouldn't be here right now.

Wildcats my ass. ***** Mildcats. 

**** Cal and his shitty teams and hit shitty coaching. How is he even in the HoF?

I had Kentucky as my national champ. Un fkn real.

St. Peters finally petered out.   Great run, though.

I have Villanova winning it on one of my brackets, but I heard they lost a key player last game.

(03-28-2022, 06:26 AM)Interceptor Wrote: I have Villanova winning it on one of my brackets, but I heard they lost a key player last game.

my bracket died when arizon and gonzaga died. while i live in kansas territory, i still get to put smack on them since. 1. bengals came in and won the afc title after they wanted the re-match and 2. kentucky beat ku's ass by 20 in lawrence. so all is well that ends well so long as villanova can slap them down. but it wouldn't surprise me if it's duke.

UNC over Kansas monday night !!

Rooting for UNC. I like the underdog, plus they gave coach K his first loss at Duke and his last one this year in the final 4. That is unless he pulls a Tom Brady.