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Award-winning columnist Tom Archdeacon — an old-school storyteller in a brand-new venue — writes about sports, the city, southwest Ohio and anything else that catches his fancy… or yours.Home > Blogs > Through the Arch > Archives > 2010 > March > 17 > Entry
Dayton again proves it’s a great basketball town
When it comes to college basketball towns, few places can beat Dayton.
That was proved again Tuesday night when 8,205 people showed up to watch the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff top Winthrop, 61-44, in the Opening Round game of the NCAA Tournament.
Last year — thanks in part to the presence of Morehead State, which is just three hours away in Kentucky — a record 11,346 showed up to watch the Eagles top Alabama State.
This tournament opener — maligned by some folks every year who paint it as something akin to the junior varsity warm-up game before the big boys take the floor — is beloved by many here and has been played at UD Arena since it’s inception nine years ago.
“We always draw around 8,000 for this game,” UD ticket manager Gary McCans said matter of factly at halftime Tuesday night.
While there are now rumors that the NCAA may expand the tournament field by three more teams — to 68 — and have four play-in games, one in each region, it’s doubtful any will become an event quite like the one has become here.
Like every play-in game here — including last year’s Eagle-infused count — most of the folks in the crowd are from the Dayton area.
And except for Winthrop’s Reggie King — who’s from Novelty, Ohio way up in Geauga County, past Cleveland — there was no one on either roster Tuesday night from the state.
Folks here just love to watch college basketball.
And the Play-In game offers people who can’t get into UD Arena to see the Flyers — or who are stuck in the 400 Level — a chance to get closer to the action and to be a part of the NCAA Tournament.
And school’s like Arkansas-Pine Bluff — which brought along as good of a pep band as you’ll ever hear and 12 dancing cheerleaders who drew the crowd’s attention — make it all the more fun.
Like many Midwestern industrial cities, we have lost many of our factories, our downtown department stores and a big chunk of our population base, but the turnstiles still spin like mad here when it comes to college hoops.
This season the Dayton Flyers — who play Illinois State in the first round of the NIT Wednesday night at the Arena — set a regular season attendance record, averaging 13,038 fans for its 17 home games.
In the 41 years the Arena has been open, basketball crowds have averaged close to 12,000 fans per game and UD has never been ranked worst than 35th in the nation in attendance. Usually it’s in the Top 25.
What’s even more remarkable is that on a night when UD Arena is jammed to the rafters, Wright State — whose Raiders have now had four straight 20-win seasons — may be playing just across town and drawing another 5,000 to the Nutter Center.
Dayton leads the Atlantic 10 Conference in attendance every year and Wright State is second in the Horizon League to Butler.
Then there are the NCAA Tournament games that UD Arena has hosted in 24 of the 41 years it’s been open. Tuesday night was the 83rd men’s NCAA Tournament game held at UD Arena, tying it with Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City for the most ever hosted by one arena.
In 11 days, UD Arena will host one of the four regionals of NCAA women’s tournament.
“This is just a great atmosphere,” said UAPB athletics director Skip Perkins, whose teams plays at a 4,100- seat facility back home. “People really turn out for basketball here.”
Put another way, when it comes to college basketball towns, few places beat Dayton.
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Comments
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By mike
March 28, 2010 3:02 PM | Link to this
Butler and UD made the Final Four… maybe Butler will give UD a chance on their schedule in the future, if UD wants to step up to the Horizon League and play with the big boys in the real NCAA tournament!
By Octavio
March 17, 2010 5:22 PM | Link to this
So why isn’t Dayton a part of this big extravaganza?
By Octavio
March 17, 2010 5:19 PM | Link to this
Gee, how thrilling for Dayton Fans to attend opening rounds of the NCAA at their own venue, of which their own basketball team isn’t a part! You call this a great season, Mr. Archdeacon? We just ran Bobby Gonzalez out of Seton Halbecause he couldn’t produce a winner. When are these Dayton fans going to wise up? Let’s see if they make it thru the 2nd round of the NIT!!!
By WhinerStateU
March 17, 2010 3:49 PM | Link to this
Boo Hoo nobody will play ball with Whiner State U.
By Gem City Jam
March 17, 2010 3:11 PM | Link to this
So UD won’t play Wright State because the Horizon League is a one-bid NCAA conference like the Colonial or Missouri Valley this year. So I guess UD won’t play Butler because…Butler’s in the Horizon League? UD schedules weak nonconference road games and pays the price by missing the NCAA tourney on a regular basis. Dayton is NOT a great basketball town. If there was a true city rivalry like the Crosstown Shootout in Cincinnati, it could become one. The Gem City Jam needs to be revived!
By Get Better, Then Talk
March 17, 2010 12:27 PM | Link to this
If WSU wants a piece of UD, then they need to get in a better conference or just get better as a program. If not for Butler, the HL Champ would be playing in the NCAA opening round against winthrop! Facts hurt!
By BringBackTheJam
March 17, 2010 11:52 AM | Link to this
If it wasn’t for selfishness and ego there could be a UD/WSU game every year. How much do individuals and corporations donate to your schools annually? The Dayton community deserves a cross town rivalry game. Give something back, including all the proceeds to local charities. Dayton businesses would love to get back behind the Gem City Jam! It’s one more (big) thing that could help make Dayton great!
By Take it to the Hoop
March 17, 2010 11:38 AM | Link to this
Maybe rename from Gem City to Basketballtown since that seems to be the biggest money maker.
By Nathan
March 17, 2010 11:33 AM | Link to this
I came from Kentucky to attend the opening round game last night, and I enjoyed it a great deal. I’ve been a Winthrop fan for 10 years so I was thrilled for the opportunity to see them play in the NCAA Tournament, at a very affordable price. Dayton is a first class city and they have some of the best fans around!
By Joe
March 17, 2010 11:16 AM | Link to this
Tom, it’s not a play-in game. Both teams are NCAA Tournament participants. It’s an opening round game, like they have in high school wrestling. But they call it rat-tails. The loser is still a Tournament participant. The real play-in games are the conference championship games. Why can’t you folks get it right? The NCAA Tournament committee named it the Opening Round Game. By calling it a play-in game you are being journalistically incorrect!
By billy
March 17, 2010 11:14 AM | Link to this
UD dont want no part of WSU. I seen somewhere when they was saying that they dont got nothing to gain by playing WSU. Yeah you do you got pride to play for. I am sorry but I dont got no respect for UD.
By Mike R
March 17, 2010 10:29 AM | Link to this
Good article, Tom! Just one point—It’s my understanding the added opening round games will be played here, at UD Arena too.
By Mr. Sports
March 17, 2010 10:01 AM | Link to this
Dayton won’t play Wright State. Wah wah wah wah wah. I am going to kill myself.
By LDT45
March 17, 2010 9:27 AM | Link to this
Good for UD continuing to host the NCAA. Maybe one day they can actually play in it…..
By Rudy F.
March 17, 2010 9:13 AM | Link to this
Why is UD afraid to play Wright State? The Gem City deserves to see UD vs. WSU. Let’s make it happen!
By TYGO
March 17, 2010 6:53 AM | Link to this
Another great story by one of America’s greatest treasures; Tom Archdeacon. Dayton is so fortunate to have Tom here.
By Sarge
March 17, 2010 6:41 AM | Link to this
I used to think that the OSU should have to play Dayton, Miami, Xavier ever year to help out the other in-state school with their programs. What a draw they would be for everyone. But then I GREW UP and realized that all these schools needed to take care of themselves and shouldn’t be reliant on another program. Let’s just have each school do what is best for them and not whine relentlessly because they have something we don’t.
By wakkjobb
March 17, 2010 3:31 AM | Link to this
UD SOS may have been 21st in RPI, but 60th to 80th in most computer indexes. If holiday tournaments were taken out of the equation for UD and for everyone else, UD’s non-con would be well within the bottom half. Being in the best or second best holiday tournie helped in 2009-2010, but you can’t count on that kind of boost every year from holiday tournies. Heck, if Dayton hadn’t rallied against Ga Tech, Dayton would have had another game with G Mason and probably another with Boston U instead of Villanova and Kansas State. Where would the schedule strength have been then? They almost would have been doomed BEFORE conference play began. Scheduling must improve going forward.
By Emmett Thornton Beaver
March 17, 2010 2:52 AM | Link to this
It will be a better basketball town when UD loosens up and plays WSU again.
By Matt
March 17, 2010 2:06 AM | Link to this
Just because people keep saying it, doesn’t make it true. Dayton’s RPI SOS for non-conference play this year was 21st in the country. Perhaps I can translate: abysmal = schools that are relevant now that were not in 1960.
By Fishbait
March 17, 2010 1:29 AM | Link to this
Fans show up at these games to get a look at future UD opponents as the Flyers to play an abysmal non A-10 schedule.