Len and I went to the Dayton Flyers game this afternoon and witnessed a mostly abysmal performance against the Minutemen of Massachusetts. The Flyers were outplayed most of the game and it showed in the primary statistics such as rebounds (46 to 34) and free throw percentage (62% to 39%). This was a pivotal game for the Flyers season, and the 77 to 69 loss took them out of any chance to make the 65 team NCAA tourney in March… The Flyers had won 14 straight games at home prior to this loss.
After watching the Gregory-coached team this year, I’m convinced that he either: a) doesn’t believe in applying full-court pressure, or b) doesn’t know how to coach his team for a full-court game. The Flyers’ press is useless and their press-break is non-existent. The Flyers simply can’t compete at the top-50 level until Gregory gets this element of their game under control.
Interestingly enough, I took a snapshot of the real-time RPI ratings and discovered that Dayton is ranked 76 while Wright State is ranked 79. This is probably the closest these “Gem City Jam” teams have been in the last 10 years (see below).
I’m going on the record in predicting that both Dayton and Wright State are selected for the post-season NIT tourney. The real question is which team will go farther in the tournament.
Dayton really is not a “true” post-season team. Today in our booming entertainment world, one must understand that it’s all about the Benjamin’s. ESPN and NIT want the money. They simply know Dayton fans will turn out wherever and whenever. Raiders fans? If the tickets are free and the win column is good—they’ll be there. Otherwise, don’t expect it. Visit here for more information about the NIT selection process.