We made it to games at both UD Arena and the Nutter Center this past week… While both exhibition games were played against Division II opponents, the Dayton Flyers and the Wright State Raiders both appear to be poised for strong seasons. UD was picked to finish first in the A-10 Conference while WSU was picked to finish second in the Horizon League.
The Flyers essentially have the team back that went to the 2nd round of the NCAA tourney last year. Think of it this way: How many teams have 5 players that hover around 6’10” in height? They have the twin-tower freshmen, Cavanaugh and Benson, who hail from the Dayton-area high schools. If you include Chris Wright, you have the area high schools well-represented (Trotwood, Dunbar, and Centerville)… Coach Gregory has got to find a way to get Chris Johnson in the starting line-up… There really is no reason the Flyers shouldn’t win at least 25 games on their way to a repeat appearance in March Madness.
While the Raiders are the up-start, coach Brad Brownell has done a consistently solid job with the program. He has 20-win seasons every year at the Nutt House, and he really works miracles with the thin body of recruits that he’s had. Senior Todd Brown has really beefed-up and could be on a tear this year, and if Vaughn Duggins can stay out of trouble, they’d have a heck of a 1-2 punch. If the team stays healthy, I could easily see WSU joining UD at the March Madness tourney.