Blog Posts
By Nate Waggenspack
Photos By Ryan Kozelka
Click here to see pictures from immediately after the game!
Click here to see the flyers cut down the net!
"A great way to go out," Kurt Huelsman said.
"Yeah, it was a great way to go out for our seven seniors," London Warren said.
"Winning this tournament, Madison Square Garden against North Carolina, it doesn't get any better than that," Marcus Johnson said.
The words of Dayton's three team captains after their NIT Championship echoed the sentiments of the entire team after the game during the postgame celebration of their win.
The Dayton players danced around the court for a bit to a chorus of cheers from Dayton fans before taking pictures, as senior Rob Lowery yelled "I want a ring!" into the camera.
Next came the All-Tournament team awards, where Marcus Johnson and Chris Johnson were honored, the latter give Most Outstanding Player honors.
Finally the ring and trophy presentation came, when each player was given his ring and the team its trophy.
Finally, it was time to cut down the nets. One by one the players climbed the ladder set up in Madison Square Garden to cut off a piece of the net on one of the hoops that they filled up en route to two wins in New York City.
While players were waiting for their turn they continued to dance and joke with teammates and others on the court, including Athletic Director Tim Wabler. Warren could hardly keep still, bouncing from reporter to reporter and teammate to teammate.
Several players cut off their piece and raised it to the sky, to raucous applause from the Flyer faithful in attendance. Chris Wright took things a step further and stuck his piece of net between his nose and mouth and wore it like a moustache.
Finally it was time for head coach Brian Gregory to finish the job. The general of the Flyers cut the net down and pumped his fist high into the air several times in excitement. It was the final symbol of Dayton's fantastic run through the NIT.
For Gregory, it was a great way to tribute his seniors in their final game.
"We're fortunate, we've built a good program in the right way," he said. "Those guys [the seniors] are the foundation of that."
By Nate Waggenspack
Marcus Johnson said going out on a high note was important, and he made sure he and his fellow seniors did just that.
Johnson scored 20 points to lead Dayton to a 79-68 NIT championship win over North Carolina Thursday, April 1. Chris Johnson added 14 points and nine rebounds and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
After a stellar first half in which had the Flyers up 45-32 and on fire (58.1 percent field goals), UNC was able to mount a comeback in the second half and make things closer. The Tar Heels made a 12-1 run in the first 3:20 of the second half to make it just a two point Dayton lead. Marcus Johnson was able to hit a three on the ensuing possession, however, and keep UD in the lead, where they would stay for the rest of the game.
The Flyers finished the season on a five-game win streak, during which they refused to lose and dominated their demons from the regular season. In January, a run like North Carolina made would have been more difficult for Dayton to respond to. In this game, it came naturally.
"We played exactly the way we wanted to play," senior Kurt Huelsman said.
Huelsman is another part of the class of seniors that have now won 94 games in their careers-tying them for the most ever by a UD class with the group from 1955.
Winning the NIT served as a bit of redemption for the Flyers, who did not achieve their goals for much of the regular season, but put those things behind them after a devastating A-10 Tournament loss to Xavier.
"Our guys were upset, they didn't accomplish what they wanted to during the year," head coach Brian Gregory said. "They didn't cry about it or point fingers, they just rallied together and said 'Okay, we have another opportunity and a great way to go out.'"
Will Graves hit seven three pointers and scored 25 points to lead all scorers, but it was not enough to keep Dayton down, who got double-digit performances out of four players.
Perhaps the most important of those performances was Paul Williams'. Williams came in the first half after Chris Johnson suffered a hip-pointer, and went 4-5 from the field, including three 3-pointers, to go for 11 first half points. The sophomore finished with 16.
"CJ stepped out, somebody's got to step up," Williams said. "It's our last game. We had to leave it on the court. If we didn't win this game, we'd be in the locker room right now.
Late in the second half with the game still very much in doubt Dayton was able to stifle North Carolina's hopes at victory with a layup by Chris Johnson and then a four straight free throws by Williams and Chris Johnson. That put Dayton up 11 and allowed Dan Fox and Luke Hendrick to come into the game to dribble out the championship.
Click here for a photo gallery of the second half of this game! Photos by Ryan Kozelka
Click here for a photo gallery of the first half of this game! Photos by Ryan Kozelka
London Warren will be held out of the starting lineup tonight due to a violating a team rule.
Rob Lowery will start in his place.
Click here for a photo gallery of the pep rally!
The University of Dayton Alumni hosted another pep rally event at the Hotel Pennsylvania this evening to energize the Flyer Faithful before tonight's game.
Several hundred alumni, students, cheerleaders and the pep band showed up to the ballroom of the hotel.
Like on Tuesday, Dr. Willie Morris and the pep band directed the proceedings for the most part. Morris also spoke to the crowd, and his message was simple.
"We've got a job to do tonight," he said. "The players, they have a job to do tonight, we have a job as well."
Dr. Dan Curran, president of the university, also showed up and made a brief speech.
"I saw the team just a few minutes ago," Curran said. "They look confident, ready to go. Let's go Flyers!"
For a photo gallery of the event
Likely Starters for Dayton:
Kurt Huelsman
Chris Wright
Chris Johnson
Marcus Johnson
London Warren
Likely Starters for North Carolina:
John Henson
Deon Thompson
Will Graves
Marcus Ginyard
Larry Drew II
Head-to-Heads
Huelsman v. Henson--These two are polar opposite players. Henson is long, athletic and young, while Huelsman gets by on fundamentals and experience. Henson will make some mistakes, but his quickness and athleticism will be hard for the UD big man to handle.
Advantage: UNC
Wright v. Thompson--Another interesting match up. Both extremely athletic and talented players, with Wright playing more of a slashing style and Thompson being more of a post player. Thompson will have trouble guarding Wright. Wright will need to step up his post defense to shut down Thompson, though.
Push
C Johnson v. Graves--Chris Johnson turned in a stellar performance Tuesday against Ole Miss, and looked like he could be back to playing like the best player on the court. Graves is a bulkier, stronger version of Johnson, also playing mostly on the perimeter, but cannot rebound like CJ.
Advantage Dayton
M Johnson v. Marcus Ginyard--A good match up of excellent defenders. Ginyard is UNC's shut-down man, and Marcus has often been asked to do the same thing for Dayton. Johnson is a much more talented offensive player then Ginyard though, especially going to the basket.
Advantage: Dayton
Warren v. Drew II--Another youth vs. experience match up. The sophomore Drew II game up big in the final minutes of UNC's win over Rhode Island, but made plenty of mistakes along the way. Warren has been known to make plenty of mistakes every few games. Drew will most likely have trouble scoring on the All-A10 Defensive Team selection, however.
Advantage: Dayton
3-1 Dayton's advantage, although every match up is close, and both teams go several players deep on the bench. It should be another excellent game to decide the NIT Champion.
Nate Waggenspack
Photo by Ryan Kozelka
The teams in the NIT finals come from different ends of the college basketball spectrum.
First there is North Carolina, one of the most successful teams in college basketball history, last year's National Champion and another national championship a few years back. They are perhaps the most popular team in the nation as well, with a fan base that spans the country.
Then there is Dayton, a mid-major program that has had its success in the past and had a little bit more of it recently, but never really risen to the national spotlight. The Flyers have a loyal fan base, but it is mostly students and alumni. There are not many college basketball fans who decide to become UD fans.
For tonight's NIT Championship game, however, throw out all your preconceived notions about these programs. They are more similar than you think.
Look at UNC, a team loaded with young talent that was picked to challenge Duke for the ACC crown this year. Instead, the Tar Heels suffered injuries and fell into obscurity in their conference, finishing 16-16 on the regular season, and 5-11 overall.
Dayton came into the season with high expectations as well. The Flyers were picked to win the Atlantic 10 and many thought they could be a sleeper pick to reach the Sweet 16 or Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament. Also full of talented players, UD's season did not go as planned as they finished 8-8 in the A-10 and could not win in close games.
In the NIT, though, something has happened to both of these teams. They have begun to play in the way that many assumed they would throughout the season. Both have won impressively on the road (North Carolina at UAB and Mississippi State; Dayton at Cincinnati and Illinois) and won tight games in Madison Square Garden to make it to this point.
For both programs, the NIT was a consolation prize, a reminder of their failures during the season. They have not seen it that way, however. They have chosen to take it an opportunity for redemption. An NIT title represents something they can show for this season, and something for their fans and themselves.
These teams may come from different worlds as far as college basketball is concerned, but make no mistake: they will be playing with the same intensity and desire tonight.
Nate Waggenspack
Photo by Ryan Kozelka
Click here for a complete photo gallery of this game!
It took overtime to decide the second semifinal of the NIT, but North Carolina won 68-67 and advanced to play Dayton for the NIT championship.
The Rhode Island big three were out in full force, but not quite enough to take down Carolina. Keith Cothran's 23, Lamonte Ulmer's 18 and Delroy James' 13 were not enough to overcome missed free throws at the end of regulation.
Rhode Island led down the stretch, but Marquis Jones missed the front end of a one-and-one that allowed Larry Drew II to tie the game on a layup with just over 30 seconds left. On the ensuing possession Delroy James missed two free throws after being fouled, and the game went into overtime. In the extra period North Carolina took the lead on a three and never gave it up, holding on to win. Deion Thompson scored 16 points to lead the Tar Heels in scoring.
Click here for a photo gallery of this game! Photos by Ryan Kozelka Follow the Flyer News NIT blog for the championship game on thursday!
By Nate WaggenspackPhoto by Ryan Kozelka
Dayton's season will end this week, but the Flyers have made sure that it does so on their terms.
Chris Johnson turned in a beginning-of-the-season performance with 22 points and nine rebounds to lead Dayton to a 68-63 win over the No. 2 seed Ole Miss Runnin' Rebels.
It was an impressive performance from the Flyers, who did not heave the stroke from the three point line that they had enjoyed in wins over Cincinnati and Illinois, but did enough on defense to win anyway.
The Rebels came into Tuesday's contest averaging over 78 points per game, but they fell 15 short of that, shooting 33.9 percent for the game.
Chris Johnson was the bigger difference in the game, however, as the sophomore hit seven of nine free throw attempts and went 2-2 from downtown in the second half.
"It seemed like the hoop was the size of the backboard," teammate Chris Wright said of Johnson's performance. "He was knocking them down."
The Flyers trailed for just a few minutes in the game, taking a 2-0 lead to start. Mississippi was able to pull within one multiple times in the second half, but never got over the hump.
A play reminiscent of Dayton's loss to Xavier occurred in the final two minutes of the game when Mississippi's Reginald Buckner got tied up with Chris Johnson and then threw an elbow, drawing a technical foul. Chris Johnson knocked down both free throws and UD got the ball, driving a wedge into Ole Miss' comeback hopes.
Marcus Johnson scored 12 points for Dayton on 4-7 shooting, his third straight game in double figures.
Dayton's out-of-nowhere run through the NIT will now continue in the championship game Thursday, where they will meet the winner of Rhode Island and North Carolina for the title.
"I think we've shown we have a lot of character," Chris Johnson said. "We know we could have easily given up...we have an opportunity to still do something special here at the NIT."
Click here for a photo gallery of the NIT alumni pep rally! Photos by Ryan Kozelka
Keep checking the blog for new Flyer updates of the NIT tournament!
The Alumni, pep band and cheerleaders held a pep rally of sorts in the theater of Madison Square Garden leading up to the Flyers' semifinal game against Ole Miss.
Dr. Willie Morris and the pep band brought the energy to the rally, while both Morris and Athletic Director Tim Wabler spoke to the couple hundred fans in attendance in the Theater Lobby at MSG.
"What makes me proud to be a Flyer fan is wherever you go, we have that spirit," Morris said.
The pep band also unveiled a new song and cheer to the Flyer faithful, so make sure to keep your ears open for it. They will be saying Let's go! U-D! three times followed by a D-A-Y-T-O-N F-L-Y-E-R-S amidst music. I thought it was a pretty good one, so be ready to be chanting that next year.
John Bedell - Assistant Sports Editor Photos by Ryan Kozelka
There are still some big challenges ahead for the UD's men's basketball team.
The University of Mississippi's nickname is the Runnin Rebels. And Ole Miss' men's basketball team lives up to that moniker. These boys love to get up and down the floor. Dayton Flyers head coach Brian Gregory knows this will be one of the many challenges the Rebels will give the Flyers in their matchup Tuesday night in the NIT semifinals at Madison Square Garden.
Dayton saw Ole Miss play at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off in November as both teams were in the tournament.
"I was so impressed with them then," Gregory said. "And now watching film the last few days even more so. It's going to be a great game."
Gregory said there are only a few teams the Flyers have faced this year that compare to Ole Miss' propensity for pushing the ball - a familiar conference foe and two opponents from Puerto Rico.
"Xavier is probably the closest to [Mississippi] in terms of their transition," Gregory said. "The only other teams that are similar are Kansas State and Villanova with their guard play and their ability to push the ball."
Gregory and his staff know that if they do not contain Ole Miss' guard play Tuesday, they will be in for a long night. Junior guard Chris Warren is similar to London Warren not only because of the last name they share (no relation) but because of the speed at which he plays.
"This is the first time that [Rob Lowery and London] have faced a guy that's as quick as they are," Gregory said. "And the one thing that [Chris Warren] can do is he can score."
It's Warren's ability to score the basketball that differentiates him from London and Rob. He's a second team all-SEC selection this season and averaged just over 17 ppg this season. Warren has upped his scoring of late averaging 20.5 points in the Rebels' last six contests.
"He can really score," Gregory said. "And they do a lot of things to create space for him to drive." Containing Warren along with sophomore guard Terrico White, who is averaging 21.7 ppg in the NIT, will be crucial for the Flyers. Dayton will have to defend the ball screen and the dribble drive well as they are two things the Rebels will be sure to use early and often to create space for their pure scoring backcourt.
Another thing Dayton will have to deal with is Old Miss' athleticism.
"They are the first team that we've played in this tournament that is as athletic as we are," Gregory said. "They're quick, athletic and strong, and they are tremendous on the glass. I hate to say it, but they have a lot of 'Dayton players' on that roster. They're 6'6", 6'7", 225 [pounds] and strong, tough and kind of junkyard dogs on the glass."
The Flyers will be making their second trip to Madison Square Garden this season; Dayton played Fordham at MSG in January. Lowery said that staying composed playing in an arena that's dubbed by many as "the Mecca of basketball" and "the most famous arena in the world" is key.
"It's the best feeling playing there," Lowery said. "Knowing all the greats that have played there. You just get really excited but you got to know how to control your emotions. It's an exciting opportunity."
Gregory said that having played at MSG before this season will reduce some of the wide-eyed effect that The Garden can have on a young basketball player.
"I think playing there [against Fordham] will help us, I really do," Gregory said. "You have to get used to it - it's a unique place. But I think being there the time before this year will help us."
The winner of Tuesday night's game between Dayton and Ole Miss will play the winner of Rhode Island and North Carolina Thursday night at 7 p.m. for the NIT Championship.
By Nate Waggenspack
Likely Starters for Dayton:
Kurt Huelsman
Chris Wright
Chris Johnson
Marcus Johnson
London Warren
Likely Starters for Ole Miss:
DeAundre Cranston
Murphy Holloway
Eniel Polynice
Terrico White
Chris Warren
Head-to-Heads:
Huelsman v. Cranston--Neither center scores very much or grabs many boards. Look for Huelsman's defensive prowess to completely shut Cranston down.
Advantage: Dayton
Wright v. Holloway--Holloway is an athlete that can keep up with Wright, and he averages 10.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, while also having 49 steals on the season. Wright has been playing well lately, though.
Advantage: Dayton
C Johnson v. Polynice--Again a pretty even matchup in scoring, with Polynice going for 9 ppg, but CJ is the better rebounder (6.8 rpg to Poly's 4.4) Similar size's on these two as well. Whichever one of them attacks the basket will have the better game.
Advantage: Dayton
M Johnson v. White--Probably the most interesting matchup out of the starters. White, at 6'5'' is one of the few shooting guards Marcus Johnson will play against that has a size advantage on him. White scores more per game, but MJ has been playing his best ball of the season the last couple games. Will it continue?
Push
L Warren v. C Warren--A tough matchup for London. Chris Warren is significantly taller than him (6'4'' to 6') and a lethal scorer, leading the Runnin' Rebels at better than 17 a game. London is an excellent defender, but he will have his hands full with this assignment.
Advantage: Ole Miss
Overall, UD appears to have a favorable match up with Ole Miss. Come 7 p.m., though, we'll know the real story.
Click here for a photo gallery of this game! Photos by Ryan Kozelka
Flyernews.com proudly brings you more exclusive photos from this game than any other news source!
photo by Ryan Kozelka
The UD Flyers turned in a true team effort in a 81-66 win over the Cincinnati Bearcats Monday night at Fifth Third Arena.
The Flyers had 11 different players score (every player that got in other than Dan Fox and Luke Hendrick for the final 20 seconds), and staved off all UC comeback attempts.
Marcus Johnson led Dayton with 16 points while Chris Wright, Rob Lowery and Paul Williams all scored 11 points, which built a 31-14 lead in the first half on the strength of some sizzling three point shooting, hitting nine treys in the opening frame.
UC closed the gap to just five at half time and even brough it down to two points on a couple occasions, but Dayton always had an answer, and eventually pulled away in the final seven minutes.
Despite making the NIT, Dayton\'s season has now lasted longer than every team in the A-10 except Xavier and Rhode Island.
The seven seniors on the team kept their final season alive, advancing to the National Invitation Tournament Round of Eight to take on the Fighting Illini of Illinois in Champaign.
The Dayton Flyers will take on the Cincinnati Bearcats at Fifth Third Arena tonight at 9 p.m. for the right to advance to the round of eight in the National Invitation Tournament.
The Flyers will look to find a way to have more success away from home than they have the rest of this season in order to keep their season alive in Cincinnati.
The Bearcats finished 11th in the Big East with a 7-11 record in the conference en route to receiving a two-seed in the NIT. They are led by a trio of scorers averaging double figures. Guards Lance Stephenson and Deonta Vaughn are scoring 12.3 and 11.2 points per game, respectively, while forward Yancy Gates averages 10.6 points and 6 rebounds per contest. Stephenson showed himself to be one of the more dangerous young players in the country, being UC's go-to player in late game situations.
The teams play at a similar pace, each scoring and allowing between 60 and 70 points per game. Expect a game in that point range tonight.
UC beat seven-seed Weber State in its first game of the NIT, 76-62. Dayton used a strong second-half to down Illinois State 63-42.
Flyer News will be at the game covering live. Come back to the NIT Update blog during the game for coverage.
Click here for a photo gallery of this game! (photos by Ryan Kozelka)
Flyernews.com proudly brings you more exclusive photos from this game than any other news source! Check out the blog after the Cincinnati game on Monday for more great photos that you won't find anywhere else!
By Jacob Rosen photo by Ryan Kozelka
Update: The University of Dayton athletics office announced Wednesday night that the game against Cincinnati will be played on Monday, March 22 at 9 p.m. ET. It will take place at UC's Fifth Third Arena and will be televised nationally on ESPN.
Dayton pulled away late in front of the home crowd, defeating Illinois State by the final score of 63-42 on Wednesday night.
The win was the third straight season of a post-season victory for the UD program, as the team advanced to the second round of the NIT. The win also provided a very ceremonious send-off in what will probably be the final game at UD Arena for the six seniors.
After the game, head coach Brian Gregory cited how "this place is very special to them, to me and to all of us." The team could still return home for a later round game in the NIT, but for now, the record stands at 64-7 at home over the past four seasons.
After leading by double digits for most of the first half, it was an uncomfortable start to the second half. Illinois State began to mount a long and bothersome comeback and brought the deficit to just five points at 42-37 with less than 11 minutes left.
The Flyers immediately responded with a passionate 19-1 run over the next eight minutes. The impressive streak re-invigorated the home crowd as Dayton coasted to victory.
Sophomore Chris Johnson led the Flyers with 13 points on the night along with nine rebounds. He recovered after shooting just 1-for-7 in the first half.
Junior Chris Wright finished with nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds while seniors Marcus Johnson and Mickey Perry each added nine points as well.
"Our guys did a good job of remaining composed and staying strong down the stretch," head coach Gregory said. "This is a resilient group and I'm proud of them."
Two of the top 40 teams in the nation in rebounding margin, the battle in the paint was going to be a show all night. It was a show but never in question, as the Flyers won the eventual rebounding battle by the final mark of 42-27.
Dayton will travel to #2-seeded Cincinnati in the NIT second round. The Bearcats advanced with a 76-62 victory at home over Weber State tonight. Details on the time for this contest will be announced shortly.
