Midwest Regional
MINNEAPOLIS -- When London Warren was coming out of high school in Jacksonville, Fla., three years ago, he made a decision to sign with Dayton, even though he had options in the warmth of the Southeast.
When he told friends he was headed to Dayton, they rolled their eyes.
"You're going to Daytona college?" they asked.
"Dayton," Warren said. "Dayton. It's in Ohio."
Forgive his friends for not exactly being up on the history of Dayton basketball. It's hasn't been the hotbed of hoops action. The Flyers went 19 years without winning an NCAA tournament game and they play in the Atlantic-10, which isn't filling up your weeknight cable programming.
That all might have changed Friday afternoon.
Dayton is relevant again in the world of college basketball.
The 11th-seeded Flyers upset sixth-seeded West Virginia 68-60 to advance to the round of 32 in the Midwest Regional. They will face third-seeded Kansas on Sunday here at the Metrodome.
"It's unbelievable for our program," Dayton coach Brian Gregory said.
This was once a program that was relevant on the national scene. In 1967, the Flyers played in the national championship game against the UCLA Bruins and Lew Alcindor, losing 79-64.
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| Chris Wright (27 points) leads Dayton to its first NCAA tourney win since 1990. (Getty Images) |
This Dayton team went 26-7 (11-5 in the A-10), yet most didn't give the Flyers much chance of beating West Virginia. They were 10-point underdogs.
It didn't help that starting guard Rob Lowery tore the patella tendon in his right knee on Feb. 11, forcing Dayton to adjust. Lowery was leading the team in assists and was third in scoring.
That was a tough blow. But not as bad as the injury that hit the Flyers last season. After winning 14 of its first 15, Dayton looked to be a tournament shoe-in. But then star forward Chris Wright broke his ankle and the Flyers' season was lost. They went to the NIT instead.
Seeing Wright play against West Virginia, we know why that injury was damaging. Let's put it this way: He's an NBA player in waiting.
Wright had a game-high 27 points, including a thunderous dunk on a fast break. Wright's the type of player who can put a team on his back and carry them deep in the tournament.
The other thing this Dayton team has going for it is defense and toughness. Gregory is a disciple of Michigan State coach Tom Izzo. Like Izzo, his team plays in-your-face defense and rebounds with ferocity.
"We don't back down," Warren said.
The Flyers didn't get caught up in the seeding. They also didn't get lost in the Big East hype machine.
After the game, forward Charles Little was asked about playing a Big East team and whether they drew any inspiration from it.
"I really didn't draw much from it," Little said. "I think we were like 4-1 the last couple of games we played the Big East."
Guard Marcus Johnson, sitting on the podium next to him, interrupted.
"Correction, 5-1," Johnson said.
It is a program certainly moving in the right direction. Gregory is recruiting his type of players to Dayton, those who are willing to do the dirty work.
They will not be an easy out for Kansas. It wouldn't shock me to see this team playing in the Sweet 16.
The formula is there: Good defense and a star to ride.
Wright was recently stopped in an airport as he walked with his teammates and asked to name his team. He told the man it was Dayton.
The man asked if it was a lower-division school.
Now they know. They play with the big boys. Friday they beat one.
