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Friday, April 2, 2010
Gregory dismisses mid-major label
NEW YORK — Point out their lack of some basic basketball fundamentals all you want. Question their smarts on the court if you’d like. Just don’t call them a mid-major program.
The media in New York tried to paint the University of Dayton as the Little Engine That Could, a mid-major team that did the unthinkable by reeling off four straight wins against BCS conference schools to win the NIT championship.
But during his post-game press conference, UD coach Brian Gregory said flatly, “We are not a mid-major. … Did those players look like mid-major players to you?”
Gregory has always said the Flyers fall somewhere between the mid-majors and the BCS. “But our guys have BCS major-college heart and character, and that’s why we’ve been successful.”
Beating Cincinnati, Illinois, Mississippi and North Carolina in the NIT hiked the Flyers’ record to 11-6 against BCS schools in the last four years.
“It’s great for our league,” Gregory said of the Flyers’ showing. “You can see the run Xavier had (in the NCAA tournament). … We just beat a team from the Big East, Big Ten, the SEC and now the ACC. If that was the regular-season, it would be the biggest news in the world. And not one of those games was at home because those teams won’t play us at home.”
Pausing, Gregory drew laughter by adding: “That was a little dig right there in case you didn’t catch that one.”
