Tackling a national power at this level is precarious but offers this reward, the chance to stand in front of the basketball world for a night. While Dayton has played its fair share of Top 20 opponents this decade, none come with a bigger name than Kentucky. With seven NCAA championships, two in the 90s, Kentucky resides in the upper echelon of college basketball.

After an absence from the national scene in the 80s, Kentucky has enjoyed a resurgence under the leadership of Rick Pitino and now Tubby Smith. Smith has guided his teams to the NCAA tournament six of his 8 years at the helm, with a national title in his first season at Kentucky. After leaving Georgia in 1997, control of the Bulldogs was handed over to Ron Jirsa, Tubby’s assistant coach.

Jirsa proceeded to bring in two highly regarded recruiting classes but was dismissed after not meeting the expectations of the Georgia administration. Oliver Purnell promptly hired this talented recruiter and coach to serve as his top assistant. Jirsa stands as one of the biggest advantages for the Flyers going into Monday’s matchup. While Jirsa is familiar with many of Tubby’s coaching idiosyncrasies, Kentucky doesn’t have that same luxury facing an Oliver Purnell team. Both teams have jumped out to successful starts. Kentucky, after receiving pre-season rankings as low as #26, moved efficiently through the NIT field on its way to the title game and Top 10 status.

In the other corner, the Flyers shocked the basketball community and its own fans, particularly, by winning the CoSIDA Classic in Albuquerque. Dayton, having been a downright awful road team over the last several years, surprised host New Mexico who maintains a legendary home court advantage in The Pit.

The two wins in Albuquerque and the strong showing against Cincinnati last year in Cleveland will give the upstart Flyers some much needed big-game confidence going into this showdown. It will be interesting to see how both teams come out of the gate on Monday. Kentucky may be mentally road and tournament weary, compounded by the fact that UK will play another game away from Rupp. Kentucky fans hope to give their team a home court feel at the Firstar Center in Cincinnati. The Flyer Faithful must provide a counter.

Dayton should continue with its winning brew by taking advantage of Mark Ashman’s experience down low. Although Jamaal Magloire is receiving a lot of attention for Kentucky, he’s not nearly as capable offensively as Ashman. Magloire is also prone to losing his cool, which will benefit Ashman if he can solve Magloire’s unquestioned defensive presence. Both clubs shot poorly on Friday in ugly basketball games. Kentucky found itself giving up crucial three-pointers while shooting an abysmal 6-23 from beyond the horizon.

Kentucky committed over 20 turnovers while Dayton had a good handle once again with only 9. The Flyers are blessed with a myriad of outside shooters. Brooks Hall, in particular, needs to start bringing his offensive game to compliment his “high basketball IQ.” Dayton will rely on outside shooting, especially if Magloire owns Ashman down low. Kentucky is also deeper at center with freshman standout Marvin Stone seeing more time. The Flyers will have problems defending 6-9 Tayshaun Prince who lit up Arizona for 18 points on Friday. Prince will be matched up against Dayton’s small forward, which undoubtedly will be undersized. Look for UD’s staff to use several players on Prince hoping to wear him down.

The Flyers have a very good chance of pulling off an upset if the pieces fall into place. Monday’s game, whatever the outcome, will be a reunion of two very proud and storied basketball programs.