Lack of Rivalry Games
I heard on Flyer pre-game or post game show a few weeks back the question proposed: As of today, who would you consider Dayton's biggest rivalry? It got me thinking that since X left, we don't have a consistent rivalry game on our schedule year in and year out, which is disappointing. This part of the country is a hotbed for college basketball, and to think we don't play a single team within a 2 hour driving radius is a little crazy. Rivalry games are great recruiting tools, fun for fan bases and depending on how close schools are, can be great for the community. While I understand cases can be made for and against schedulimg each school below, off the top of my head here is a list of all D1 schools in a roughly 2hr driving radius:
Cincinnati, X, Wright State, Miami, Ohio State, Ohio, Bowling Green, Toledo, Butler, IUPUI, IUPFW, Louisville, Kentucky, Northern Kentucky, Morehead St, Eastern Kentucky
When you take a step back it's kind of crazy we don't play any of these 16 schools and I'm sure there are more I'm forgetting. When looking ahead at our schedule, I'd rather revive a rivalry or start one with any of these teams instead of playing RPI anchor VMI (currently 343) later this month.
Let it be noted, I largely like the caliber of teams we are scheduling and don't want this to turn into a 'strength of schedule' thread or another 'why we should play WSU' thread, however simply looking at the big picture, we have no rivalry games on the books and don't appear to be trying to start any new ones, which I find to be a little disappointing.
Last edited by 224; 12-05-2016 at 01:07 PM..
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