Wait a second'we aren't the Purple Eagles'and we're not from Niagara, either. So why was the Flyer Pep Band dressed up in Purple Eagle attire during the opening round and first round games of the NCAA tournament?

This was all news to me while watching the number one seeded Kansas rip apart the No. 64 seeded team, Niagara. Sitting there watching this meaningless game, the camera rolled over Niagara's band and I ridiculously thought I recognized many of these faces. But when the announcer mentioned that this was actually the University of Dayton's Pep Band, I jumped up in astonishment.

I couldn't help but think' The Flyer Pep Band made the NCAA tournament and the Flyer basketball team didn't?

After sharing a short chuckle with my colleagues, I began to ponder this scenario. Back on March 8, the Xavier Musketeers ended the Flyer basketball team's season in the second round of the Atlantic 10 tournament in Atlantic City. For the second year in a row, a promising start by the Flyers ended up in a bust. The team finished with an overall record of 19-12 after starting the season off 10-1. Yet again, the Flyer basketball team had no choice but to say, 'There's always next year.'

But not the Flyer Pep Band. They wouldn't take 'no' for an answer, as Dr. Willie Morris, the Flyer Pep Band director, and company decided they would give it a second push to get their squad in the NCAA tournament, even if it meant putting on a different color shirt.

And that they did. The play-in game to the NCAA tournament was hosted by UD Arena again this year, and this was the Flyer Pep Band's ticket into the tournament. So they threw on some purple shirts, learned a few new songs, and geared up for the opening round game featuring the Niagara Purple Eagles and the Florida A&M Rattlers.

While most NCAA basketball fans across the country let this game slip past their mind, the Flyer Pep Band would do no such thing, and gave it their all for the Purple Eagles, knowing this game would be on national television.

'We go over and beyond for TV. We make sure everything is shined up and we're doing our best and putting out lots of energy,' Morris said.

Add the normal enthusiasm the Flyer Pep Band puts out, that same enthusiasm that led the Flyer basketball team to a 16-2 home record, and I wouldn't want to be a member of the Florida A&M team, not with the Flyer Pep Band supporting my opponent.

A 77-69 victory gave the Purple Eagles a bid in the coveted NCAA tournament, and there was no way they would go on with out the help of the Flyer Pep Band. Next up, the Kansas Jayhawks.

But even the Flyer Pep Band couldn't save the Purple Eagles from their destiny of damnation from the Jayhawks, as they were pummeled by a final score of 107-67, a whopping 40 point difference. Niagara should have considered putting some of the Flyer Pep Band into their lineup, as it would have probably put on a more entertaining game for those in attendance.

'Yeah, we definitely could have gotten in that game,' saxophone player Greg Meister said.

Regardless, the Flyer Pep Band made its way into NCAA basketball's Graceland, refusing to give up even as their very own team failed to make the cut. But how did it feel playing for a different team?

'It's not so much the school for us. We are the Flyer Pep Band, that's our affiliation, but the atmosphere, the basketball atmosphere, for any school is a joy for us to play,' Morris said. 'We just enjoy the atmosphere, the excitement of basketball, particularly in our arena. Putting on a different shirt was not anything different at all.'

The Flyer Pep Band, best damn pep band in the land? Arguably so. But even in the face of a loaded question, Dr. Morris remained modest. Just how did it feel making the tournament knowing the Flyer basketball team couldn't?

'Well you know, there was somebody in the NCAA tournament representing the University of Dayton, although we were in different colors. So UD will always be represented in some form of basketball,' Morris said.

What a guy'a true Dayton Flyer.