No. 7 Dayton Stuns March Madness Fans with Rally to Avoid No. 10 Nevada's Upset Bid
Mar 21, 2024
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MARCH 21: Enoch Cheeks #6 of the Dayton Flyers drives to the basket against Kenan Blackshear #13 of the Nevada Wolf Pack during the first half in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Delta Center on March 21, 2024 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Seventh-seeded Dayton's late surge helped power the Flyers to a narrow 63-60 victory over No. 10 Nevada in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Thursday.
Head coach Anthony Grant's team was dangerously close to losing, trailing 56-39 with just under eight minutes remaining in the second half. Dayton responded with a 17-0 run to tie the game, though.
The teams traded baskets before junior forward Nate Santos finished a tough layup in traffic to give the Flyers a 61-60 advantage. After getting a stop, Santos canned two more free throws to push the lead to three before a potentially game-tying three-point attempt by Nevada missed at the buzzer.
Dayton finished the game by outscoring the Wolf Pack 24-4 over the final seven-and-a-half minutes in regulation, leaving college basketball fans amazed.
UD FLYERS!!!!! Unreal. Down 18 with 7 to play. Couldn’t buy a basket-finished on a 25-4 run to come back and win it! Dayton hoops has such great history and an incredibly loyal fan base. Congrats to the Flyers and their fans on that shocking comeback. @DaytonMBB
Nevada's lack of offensive production down the stretch was surprising, as the team initially scored 34 points in the first half. However, turnovers and missed three-point looks proved to be the difference as the team gave the ball away 12 times compared to 13 assists.
As for Dayton, the win represented the program's first March Madness victory since 2015, which came under former head coach Archie Miller. The Flyers are now set to face off against Arizona in the second round on Saturday at 12:45 p.m. ET.
No. 4 Kansas Upset by Unranked Dayton on Mustapha Amzil Buzzer-Beater
Nov 26, 2021
Kansas guard Ochai Agbaji defends as Dayton forward Toumani Camara, right, drives during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Friday, Nov. 26, 2021, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/Jacob M. Langston)
One of the biggest upsets of the still-young 2021-22 college basketball season came on Friday, with the No. 4 Kansas Jayhawks falling to Dayton 74-73 in a thriller decided at the buzzer.
Trailing by one point with the clock ticking down, Mustapha Amzil's jumper bounced off the rim and backboard before falling through the net after time expired to give the Flyers a stunning victory over the previously undefeated Jayhawks.
Amzil only finished with four points, and the final shot was his lone field-goal attempt of the game. Four of Dayton's five starters reached double figures in scoring, and the team shot 51.8 percent from the field.
Kansas left a lot of points on the board at the free-throw line. Head coach Bill Self's team only made nine of 20 attempts from the charity stripe.
The Flyers entered this matchup with a 2-3 record. Each of their three losses came in consecutive games, to UMass Lowell, Lipscomb and Austin Peay.
Kansas had won each of its first four games by an average of 20 points. It looked to be on track for another big win early on Friday. The Jayhawks jumped out to an 11-1 lead in the first four minutes and led by as many as 15 points in the first half.
Dayton is the 2nd team over the last 10 seasons to come from 15 points down and beat an AP Top-5 team on a buzzer-beater, joining Stephen F. Austin at (1) Duke in 2019.
Dayton upsets Kansas and snaps the Jayhawk's 35-game winning streak vs unranked non-conference opponents, which was the longest active streak in Division I.
It is Kansas' 1st loss as an AP top-5 team to an unranked opponent since Jan. 5, 2019 vs Iowa State. pic.twitter.com/uZ7tZvyGew
After a Remy Martin layup put Kansas up 49-37 with 18:13 remaining, Dayton scored 12 straight points to tie the game. The Flyers took their first lead at 51-50 on a Daron Holmes II dunk.
Dayton did get its lead up to seven points with 7:23 left to play. Kansas stormed back by scoring 12 of the next 14 points to take a 73-70 advantage in the final minute.
Malachi Smith cut that deficit to 73-72 on a layup with 45 seconds left. David McCormack was called for an offensive foul on the Jayhawks' ensuing possession, giving Dayton the ball back with 15 seconds remaining.
McCormack looked like he was going to play the role of hero on defense when he blocked Smith's layup attempt. Amzil was able to corral the ball and put up a shot as time expired.
The win gave Dayton its first victory over a team ranked in the top five of the Associated Press poll since a 72-71 win over No. 3 DePaul on Feb. 18, 1984.
Dayton's Obi Toppin Named 2020 AP Men's CBB Player of Year, More
Mar 24, 2020
Dayton forward Obi Toppin (1) dunks against Davidson during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Friday, Feb. 28, 2020, in Dayton, Ohio. Dayton won 82-67. (AP Photo/Gary Landers)
Dayton Flyers sophomore forward Obi Toppin was named the Associated Press' men's college basketball Player of the Year on Tuesday.
OBI. TOPPIN. The BEST player in College Basketball‼️
Dayton head coach Anthony Grant earned AP Coach of the Year honors.
The AP's Aaron Beard noted Grant and Toppin are the first Flyers to win each award, and they join former St. Joseph's Hawks head coach Phil Martelli and guard Jameer Nelson (2004) as the only duo from the same school to pull off the feat in the last 40 years.
Toppin led the No. 3 Flyers with 20.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.
The 2019-20 campaign was Grant's third as head coach at Dayton, where he played from 1983 to 1987. The Flyers steadily improved under him, going 14-17, 21-12 and a program best 29-2 this season.
Toppin led Dayton's high-flying attack. According to FiveThirtyEight'sJosh Planoson Feb. 25, the Flyers' 15.1 percent dunk share ranked second among mid-majors since 2010 behind only Wyoming's 17.1 percent in 2015.
Dayton was riding a 20-game winning streak when the NCAA cancelled its men's and women's tournaments because of the coronavirus pandemic, ending the season.
"Honestly, if you had asked me, I swear we could've won a national championship and our team was so ready to play in the tournament," Toppin told the AP. "We were so locked in. But because of this virus, things happened. It's just going to be a what-if for the rest of our lives, but it's something we're going to have to live with."
Bleacher Report'sJonathan Wassermanprojected Toppin as the No. 4 pick to the Atlanta Hawks in his latest mock draft released last week, though Toppin has yet to officially declare for the 2020 NBA draft.
Iowa junior center Luka Garza finished second to Toppin in the AP Player of the Year voting. Marquette senior guard Markus Howard, Kansas senior center Udoka Azubuike and Oregon senior guard Payton Pritchard finished third, fourth and fifth, respectively.
Grant edged Baylor's Scott Drew and San Diego State's Brian Dutcher for Coach of the Year.
Dayton Forward Sam Miller Reportedly Faces Assault Charges for Fight in Jail
Aug 2, 2017
DAYTON, OH - DECEMBER 21: Sam Miller #2 of the Dayton Flyers handles the ball against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the game at UD Arena on December 21, 2016 in Dayton, Ohio. Dayton defeated Vanderbilt 68-63. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
Dayton Flyers junior forward Sam Miller is facing multiple charges stemming from an arrest for alleged underage drinking followed by an alleged altercation in jail.
According to Dave Jablonski and Will Garbe of WHIO TV 7, Miller was arrested in Greene County (Ohio) Sunday, charged with disorderly conduct by intoxication and underage consumption, and then subsequently charged with misdemeanor assault after an alleged fight in jail.
Miller pleaded not guilty to the charges, and Dayton athletic director Neil Sullivan released the following statement on the matter: "The University of Dayton is aware of an incident, but cannot discuss individual student matters because of federal privacy laws. With all student conduct matters, the University responds in accordance with the University's Student Code of Conduct and other applicable standards."
Per a police report, Miller was arrested at a bar after allegedly causing a scene and pushing a female bartender. Police said he also pushed a security officer before the arrest.
Security cameras then captured Miller getting into a fight in a holding cell with another person who had been arrested.
Miller is a 20-year-old native of Arlington, Virginia, who averaged 4.5 points and 2.3 rebounds per game for the Flyers last season.
Kostas Antetokounmpo to Dayton: Flyers Land 4-Star Forward Prospect
Jun 23, 2016
Kostas Antetokounmpo is getting an early start on his college plans, committing to the University of Dayton on Thursday.
Antetokounmpo made his announcement official in an Instagram post:
Evan Daniels of Scout noted that Antetokounmpo gave Dayton a verbal commitment.
Antetokounmpo is the brother of Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was drafted in the first round out of Greece in 2013.
The younger Antetokounmpo is a 4-star prospect, the No. 2 player from the state of Wisconsin, the No. 19 small forward and the No. 102 player overall in the 2016 recruiting class, per 247Sports.
Daniels praisedAntetokounmpo, highlighting his 6'10" height, "massive wingspan," athleticism and huge ceiling. His scouting report is similar to those that helped his brother land at No. 15 overall in the 2013 NBA draft.
Brian Snow of Scout called Antetokounmpo a "huge get for Dayton" and noted his "major upside."
Antetokounmpo's commitment is great news for a Dayton team that was struggling to land impact talent. The Flyers had only one commit in the 2016 class, 3-star guard Trey Landers.
Head coach Archie Miller has had no problems succeeding at Dayton, though, leading the program to 25-plus wins and an NCAA tournament appearance in each of the last three seasons.
Landing marquee talent will only help Miller boost his credentials as well as those of the Dayton basketball program.
Antetokounmpo will also be in prime position to showcase his skills on a team that doesn't have a lot of players who are as physically gifted as he is. He'll have to put in the work on the court and behind the scenes to reach his full potential, but it should be a perfect marriage between the player and program.
Archie Miller, Dayton Agree on New Contract: Latest Details, Comments, Reaction
Mar 23, 2016
ST LOUIS, MO - MARCH 18: Head coach Archie Miller of the Dayton Flyers gestures from the sideline in the second half against the Syracuse Orange during the first round of the 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Scottrade Center on March 18, 2016 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
The Dayton Flyers announced Wednesday that they have extended the contract of head basketball coach Archie Miller through the 2023 season and given him a pay increase.
Dayton's vice president and director of athletics, Neil Sullivan, spoke about the decision:
Our relationship with Archie continues to recognize the exceptional achievement of our men's basketball program under his leadership and strongly affirms our mutual commitment to long-term success. We share a common vision of graduating student-athletes, consistently competing for conference championships and advancing in the NCAA Tournament. I look forward to pursuing those goals together.
Miller, 37, has spent the past five seasons at Dayton, accumulating a 115-55 record in that time. The Flyers have reached the NCAA tournament three seasons in a row and finished 25-8 this season, finishing as Atlantic 10 regular-season co-champions.
The No. 7-seeded Flyers lost 70-51 in the first round of the NCAA tournament to No. 10 Syracuse, however.
It isn't terribly surprising that Dayton locked up its coach for the long term. Once Jamie Dixon left Pittsburgh to coach TCU, Miller's name was one of many floated as a potential replacement for Dixon, along with his older brother, Sean, the coach at Arizona.
Of course, Miller probably won't stay at Dayton forever. He's one of the top young coaches in college basketball, and as Gary Parrish of CBS Sports wrote on Tuesday amid the Pittsburgh buzz, "Sources have told CBS Sports that Archie Miller will likely remain patient and wait for something better, which he'll surely be offered in the next few years."
So for the time being, the Flyers still have Miller. But if one of college basketball's bigger programs comes knocking in the near future—and if Miller continues to have success at Dayton, those programs assuredly will come knocking—it's likely the coach will head on to bigger and better things.
Young Dayton Fan Left in Tears as Syracuse Routs Flyers in NCAA 1st Round
Mar 18, 2016
For every triumphant victory, there is also disappointing defeat.
In much the same way, for every elated fan who is uplifted by the outcomes of the men's basketball NCAA tournament, there are an equal number who are crestfallen.
Such is the case for this obviously passionate young Dayton Flyers follower.
No. 7 Dayton emerged with a promising start, down only 30-28 at the end of the first half to No. 10 Syracuse. However, the fan's favorite Ohio hoops program lost steam against the surging Orange, ultimately being dealt a decisive 70-51 loss.
The upsets hurt the most.
Boise State Broncos vs. Dayton Flyers Betting Line, March Madness Analysis, Pick
Mar 16, 2015
St. Bonaventure guard Marcus Posley (3) looks for an opening against Dayton forward Kendall Pollard, center, as guard Jordan Sibert (24) watches during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament at the Barclays Center in New York, Friday, March 13, 2015. Dayton won 75-71. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
The Dayton Flyers will have a rare home-court advantage in the NCAA tournament when they wrap up the First Four by hosting the Boise State Broncos Thursday with both No. 11 seeds playing for a spot opposite the sixth-seeded Providence Friars for Friday's game.
The Flyers just fell to the Virginia Commonwealth Rams 71-65 in the Atlantic 10 tournament title game as 2.5-point underdogs, and the Broncos were upset by the Wyoming Cowboys 71-66 in overtime as 4.5-point favorites in the Mountain West semifinals.
Opening spread
The Flyers opened as two-point favorites. Compare lines and consensus on the Odds Shark matchup report.
Why pick Boise State to cover the spread
Boise State enjoyed a fairly successful season up until its last game, winning seven straight and 15 of 16 to tie the San Diego State Aztecs for the Mountain West regular-season title. The Broncos also were outstanding against the spread heading into the tourney semis against Wyoming, covering 14 of 16 down the stretch.
Unfortunately, that overtime loss to the Cowboys likely put them into this play-in game rather than getting to bypass it like Wyoming and San Diego State. Boise State is still a quality team, though, and should be excited for the chance to make amends in Dayton after losing 80-71 to La Salle as a 1.5-point favorite there in the First Four two years ago.
Why pick Dayton to cover the spread
Dayton is a dangerous team that just ran into a buzz saw in the A-10 championship game, as Shaka Smart’s VCU team again looks like it could be a nightmare matchup in this year’s NCAA tournament.
Last year, the Flyers were the team everybody was scared of in the Big Dance, and rightfully so. They went 4-0 ATS in last year’s NCAA tournament, upsetting the sixth-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes, third-seeded Syracuse Orange and 10th-seeded Stanford Cardinal as underdogs before falling to the top-seeded Florida Gators 62-52 but still covering as 10.5-point dogs in the South Regional final.
Much like Boise State, winning one more game would have helped Dayton avoid playing in the First Four, but at least the team has the edge of getting to play in its home arena.
Smart betting pick
The Flyers were perfect at home this season, going 16-0 straight up and 9-6 ATS (there was no line on their 78-62 victory against the Boston Terriers).
While the Broncos had a solid record away from home, going 12-7 SU and 11-8 ATS on the road and playing on neutral courts, this will be a difficult atmosphere for them. Winning the Mountain West tournament would have given bettors more faith in Boise, which is essentially on the road in this spot. But then again, another victory would have probably put this team elsewhere in the bracket.
Instead, this is Dayton’s game to lose as the “home” favorite, and the Flyers are 21-3 SU in their past 24 games as chalk.
How the Dayton Flyers Can Make the NCAA Final Four
Mar 27, 2014
BUFFALO, NY - MARCH 22: Devin Oliver #5 of the Dayton Flyers reacts after defeating the Syracuse Orange 55-53 in the third round of the 2014 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at the First Niagara Center on March 22, 2014 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
“THE University of Dayton” has been this year’s Cinderella story. When the tournament began, everyone was excited for Warren Buffett’s Billion Dollar Bracket Challenge. It was simple really: Just guess every game right, and you get a billion dollars.
The first game to pick was a fairly easy one. You had the No. 11 seed Dayton Flyers up against the No. 6 seed Ohio State Buckeyes. Well, Warren Buffett can thank Dayton because it, almost single-handedly, saved him a billion dollars. A total of 83.6 percent of Yahoo's billion-dollar brackets were busted off of Ohio State losing in a major upset against the unknown A-10 Conference Flyers.
OK, so winning a billion dollars is not as simple as “guess every game right.” Predicting every game correctly is actually as close to impossible as anything can get. The odds of creating a perfect bracket at random are approximately one in 9.2 quintillion; that is one in 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 to be exact.
Now, people initially looked at this as simply a bad game for the Buckeyes and a great win for the Flyers—and not that either of those statements are false—but in the next round we would come to find that these Flyers are more than a fairy tale.
Dayton’s next opponent was the No. 3 seed Syracuse Orange. Syracuse was coming off of a nice 24-point win in the first round and planned to continue its mauling of opponents with the Flyers. But the Flyers would not allow that and pulled off an even greater upset with a two-point victory over Syracuse.
The Dayton Flyers came into this tournament under the radar, but now they are in the spotlight. After taking a second glance at their schedule, I am not sure how we all missed on these guys. When the competition has shown up against the Flyers, so have they. Dayton played three Top 25 teams this season—It beat Gonzaga 84-79, defeated Saint Louis 72-67 and played Baylor, who it lost to but only by a score of 67-66.
The majority of Dayton’s production has been on the defensive end of the court. The Flyers held Ohio State and Syracuse to a combined 3-of-22 from the three-point line, which is 13.64 percent. Also, Syracuse averages 12 assists per game on the season, but the entire team only combined for four against Dayton.
BUFFALO, NY - MARCH 22: Devin Oliver #5 of the Dayton Flyers reacts after defeating the Syracuse Orange 55-53 in the third round of the 2014 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at the First Niagara Center on March 22, 2014 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by E
After defeating Syracuse, Dayton really felt a sense of accomplishment. From tweets the Flyers received from President Barack Obama to their school president crowd surfing with the Dayton students and fans, it was a special moment for a special program. Senior forward Devin Oliver said during an interview with Jim Rome:
Our school president is an incredible guy, incredible person, good president. Just to see him enjoying the moment along with the students kind of puts into perspective what this run means to this community and most importantly this campus.
Congrats to the @DaytonFlyers on a huge upset win! Devin Oliver, I may need to take you up on that pick-up game one of these days. -bo
The Dayton Flyers have now reached the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1984. On top of ending the 30-year drought, the No. 11 seed takes on the No. 10 seed in Stanford for a chance to make it to the Elite Eight.
Dayton and elite may be two words we are saying in the same sentence very often and very soon. Dayton is once again slated as the first game in the next round. The game is set to tip off at 7:15 p.m. ET on Thursday. With Stanford's top scorer, Chasson Randle, averaging nearly 40 percent from the three-point line, perimeter defense may be the difference for the Flyers once again.
Many consider No. 1 seed Florida to be the favorites to win the national championship, and it happens to be in the South Region along with Dayton. If the Gators get past UCLA, they could meet the Flyers in the Elite Eight.
Dayton could upset its way all the way into the Final Four. The Florida Gators may only have two losses on the season, but one of those losses was to Wisconsin; Wisconsin lost to Ohio State and Ohio State lost to Dayton. Maybe that is a reach on connecting the dots, but I do not see a single unbeatable team in this tournament.
Moral of the story is that this tournament is any team’s game. If you guys are looking for a Cinderella story, it may be time to pull out your glass slippers, because the shoe fits on the Dayton Flyers.
I bet a lot of people have given up on us. Not us, not this year, not my SENIOR year. HELL NO. Watch this...
