What Do You Want?

BEVERLY HILLS (MI) — What is your most fervent wish for the University of Dayton Men’s Basketball program under Archie Miller?

A National Championship?

An Atlantic 10 Championship?

Consistent, continued success?

World domination?

I think it is helpful to take a step back and look at what our hopes and dreams were for the Red and Blue in the past decades.

For Flyer fans like my brother Bud in the mid-Sixties it was just getting past the Sweet 16. Twice the Flyers won their 1st round game but then faltered in what was then then just a 32 team field. Of course, they did just that in 1967, making it all the way to the Finals.

In the Seventies, it was one more Donald Smith jumper in the three overtime loss to Bill Walton and UCLA in 1974.

In the Eighties it was some way, somehow for Roosevelt Chapman and Company to get past Patrick Ewing and Georgetown in 1984 to advance to the Final Four.

In the early Nineties it was having Norm Grevey available when Negele Knight and the Flyers faced off vs. Arkansas in the 2nd round. Later that decade, it was for the Jim O’Brien-led teams to win a game – any game! – as the program floundered into its darkest days.

At the turn of the century, it was to have OP get the guys past an upstart Tulsa team. Later it was for BG to harness all that athleticism into a consistent NCAA caliber team.

Now look where we are:

— Atlantic 10 Co-Champs
— #1 seed in the A-10 Tournament
— A lock for the NCAA Big Dance
— Everybody except Dyshawn Pierre back next year and Archie will add transfer Josh Cunningham and frosh recruit Trey Landers

Ladies and germs, these are the good old days! Enjoy the ride and let’s see how far Archie can take them.

Elsewhere:

— Putting a bow on the A-10 regular season:

http://rushthecourt.net/2016/03/08/putting-a-bow-on-the-atlantic-10-regular-season/

— Weekly A-10 Power Ratings at the end of the regular season:

http://www.a10talk.com/weekly-atlantic-10-power-rankings-dayton-finishes-regular-season-at-the-top/

— You think Archie and the guys were psyched after cutting down the nets on Saturday?

https://twitter.com/DyshawnPierre/status/706331969953595393

— This young man was in the building when UD beat VCUVIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH
Established: 1838
Location: Richmond, VA
Enrollment: 28,919
Type: Private Research
Affiliation: None
Nickname: Rams
Colors: Black and Gold:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZqA1VpbAzc

— A couple of A-10 Tournament previews:

NBC Sports:

http://collegebasketball.nbcsports.com/2016/03/08/atlantic-10-conference-tournament-preview-and-postseason-awards/

Ken Pomeroy:

http://kenpom.com/blog/index.php/weblog/entry/2016_atlantic_10_tournament_preview

— David Jablonski of The DDN asks the question “Where will the Flyers end up?”

http://daytonflyers.blog.daytondailynews.com/2016/03/07/march-forecast-vii-evaluating-dayton-flyers-ncaa-tournament-chances/

— Profiles on a couple of teams UD might see again in Brooklyn:

George MasonGEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY
Established: 1949
Location: Fairfax, VA
Enrollment: 39,032
Type: Public Research
Affiliation: None
Nickname: Patriots
Colors: Green and Gold: