2015 First Four Finds Its Forever Home

Nobody asked for it and nobody wanted it. The sportswriters and bracketologists never imagined it. But the NCAA Selection Committee quadruple-checked their data and decided Boise State and Dayton were the two worst at-large teams in the NCAA field and that meant a collision course at UD Arena in the 2015 First Four.

The Flyers and Broncos were put in tough spots for different reasons. Dayton was about to play on their home court -- a First Four provision that goes against the spirit of tournament fair play -- while Boise State was forced to contend with 12,500 partisan fans on anything but a neutral court. Neither program deserved this and neither program should apologize for feeling slighted in their own way.

To the casual observer, Dayton's home court advantage looks and feels like a weak spot in the tournament that might change the NCAA's stance on when and where the First Four is played beyond 2018. No question, the Flyers benefited from playing in front of the townies in a gym they went undefeated throughout the course of the season. And it's hard to argue Boise State's arbitrarily-difficult task of overcoming these forces to advance beyond the First Four. Other cities and venues will certainly do their best to wrestle the event away from the Gem City.

There's a case to be made however: in spite of the obvious talking points of hosting an event that hosts your own team, the real game-changer wasn't Boise State playing Dayton in Dayton but the city of Dayton taking a difficult hand and producing a royal flush of tournament goodness for all eight participating teams. The First Four has always been a great event that's well-organized and well-attended. The 2015 edition shattered all expectations however and made a case that has no rebuttal: the First Four has found its forever home.

Perhaps Dayton's inclusion in this year's First Four energized the event even further, and if so then it's a net-gain for college basketball because seven other teams enjoyed an atmosphere of excitement and hospitality that overshadows most NCAA 1st and 2nd round sites. There was a buzz in the air all week and the rising tide lifted all boats. No honest critic of the First Four could walk away from this year's event feeling like they witnessed a sideshow to the main NCAA tournament draw, whether it was supporting a pair of #16 seeds or clapping for the hometown Flyers. Fans were treated to four great basketball games and the players and coaches were treated to one of the best mid-week tournament crowds in basketball history. As loud as the fans cheered for the Flyers in the last game of the First Four, it felt like they were also cheering for the tournament itself and everything it represents. The First Four is first and foremost about underdogs and no city in the country better reflects the David vs. Goliath DNA quite like Dayton. Right or wrong, Flyer fans have always felt under-valued or under-appreciated by those outside the city limits, which is why attendees identify and embrace every team that plays in the First Four. They -- like us -- have been counted out and forced to prove themselves just a little more. A city known for invention, we latch on to others attempting to put themselves on the map too.

Moving forward, it's hard to fathom the First Four being anything less than what it was this year: big-time. VCU reached the Final Four from Dayton. LaSalle made the Sweet-16 from here. It's a springboard rather than a death sentence. Now that the Flyers have moved on too, it further legitimizes the importance of the First Four and why there's something special in the Gem City that cannot be Xeroxed elsewhere. The two-day event that jump-starts March Madness is now a new kind of special. It's hard to quantify it but you know it when you see it.

And when you hear it. And when you feel it.

The last two days provided an awkward narrative about the Dayton Flyers hosting a tournament game on their home floor, but it will end up a footnote once the smoke clears and the final remarks are in. No longer is the First Four a place of purgatory for the good but not-so-great. It's a destination for all that is good in college basketball and all that is great about the driving force behind it. Everybody was a winner this week and that includes Boise State, Manhattan, North Florida, and Brigham Young.

Dayton is not interested in hosting Dayton, but they are interested in hosting the First Four in perpetuity. It's nearly impossible to imagine the NCAA wrestling it from the double-fisted Kung-Fu grip of the University of Dayton after this year's thrilling success. Not that others won't try to persuade the NCAA, but after this week, some may also give up trying.

	LaSalle LA SALLE In 1863, La Salle University was established through the legacy of St. John Baptist de La Salle and the Christian Brothers teaching order, which De La Salle founded 300 years ago. Located in Philadelphia, La Salle is an educational community shaped by traditional Catholic and Lasallian values. La Salle's main campus is an ideal place for students to pursue an education. The 130-acre park-like setting includes 54 buildings and is located approximately six miles from Center City Philadelphia. The University can accommodate 2,114 resident students in its 12 residence halls, two apartment complexes, and 75 townhouses. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Explorers. Notable athletes include Tom Gola and Lionel Simmons.