‘Small ball seven’ a 2-seed in Brooklyn

By: Keith Raad – Sports Editor

Heading to Barclays Center for the third consecutive season, the Dayton Flyers are searching for their first Atlantic 10 Conference tournament title since 2003.

The Flyers enter the tournament as a two-seed playing 6:30 p.m. Friday against either seven-seed St. Bonaventure University or 10-seed St. Joseph’s University. Dayton is a combined 3-0 against the Bonnies and Hawks, with a winning margin of 35 points.

In Saturday’s road loss to La Salle University in the regular-season finale, Dayton lost a chance as co-champions with No. 1 overall seed Davidson College.

Though Dayton would have still remained the two-seed due to a loss to Davidson, a share of the regular season title would have been the result.

With a record of 23-8, 13-5 in the A-10, head coach Archie Miller enters the tournament as the highest seed during his four-year tenure.

In the bottom leg of the tournament, the combined records of the teams Dayton could play if a win against St. Bonaventure or St. Joe’s happens is 3-2.

Dayton defeated the University of Rhode Island, St. Louis University, split the season series with Duquesne Universtity and fell in overtime on a buzzer-beater against George Washington University.

NCAA Tournament hopes for the Flyers have been speculated all season. In his latest ESPN bracketology, analyst Joe Lunardi has the Flyers as an eight-seed playing nine-seed St. John’s in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Though the outright tournament champion automatically punches its ticket to the big dance, three A-10 teams are projected to secure at-large bids. Davidson and Virginia Commonwealth University are the other two teams besides Dayton projected to secure March Madness outright.

For updates of all tournament games, follow @FlyerNews and visit flyernews.com.