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Flyers make good impression on Tip-Off Classic organizers

Tourney overseer says UD’s fan base, quality of program make it stand out.

By Doug Harris, Staff Writer Updated 10:43 PM Saturday, November 21, 2009

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — College basketball has almost reached the saturation point for in-season tournaments, sort of like the glut of bowl games in college football. But those exempt events have been advantageous for the University of Dayton.

The Flyers beat two ranked teams in the 2000 Maui Invitational, captured the 2003 Maui tourney and won the 2008 Chicago Invitational Challenge. They have a chance for another strong showing this weekend in the Puerto Rico Tip-off Classic.

But while UD probably could sign up for an in-season tournament every year, the program is selective about when to take the plunge.

“When you choose to get in one, it’s going to be years when you think you have a team that’s going to have an opportunity to compete well and also have a chance to play BCS programs,” Athletic Director Tim Wabler said. “This (one) worked out extremely well.”

Finding teams

Beating Georgia Tech in the first round of the Tip-Off Classic meant the Flyers would face Villanova in the semifinals and Kansas State in the third-place game today, Nov. 22. Those are the only BCS schools UD will face all season, and wins in those encounters go a long way toward impressing the NCAA tournament selection committee.

Exempt events also are attractive for TV exposure. ESPN owns and operates eight in-season tourneys, including the Tip-Off Classic, and carries a lot of clout. But finding enough teams to fill all those fields can pose a challenge.

The NCAA allows teams to play in a specific tourney only once every four years, and two teams from one league can’t play in the same event.

“It’s tough to fit the pieces of the puzzle,” said Dan Shoemaker, ESPN Vice President for Collegiate Development who is overseeing the Tip-Off Classic. “From (an NCAA rule) standpoint, it’s hard to fill them.

“Now, the other side of that is we have people who want to come and play in Puerto Rico. This is a great event and great atmosphere. It’s a tremendous event for the kids, and it’s close. You don’t need a passport to get in here, and it’s a great venue. This is an event people really want to come to.”

The Tip-Off Classic has assembled one of the best fields of the exempt bunch this year with three ranked teams in Villanova, Georgia Tech and Dayton and two other postseason teams from last year in George Mason and Kansas State. North Carolina, West Virginia, Minnesota and Davidson have committed to play here next year.

“There are a lot of multi-team events out there,” Shoemaker said. “Ours are a little different in that we really like the old-style tournament where you bring eight teams to a neutral site and bracket them out, and whoever emerges at the end is your champion. ... I think both coaches and fans like the model.”

A ‘class program’

The NCAA permits teams to play 27 regular-season games and a conference tournament, plus either an exempt event that includes up to four games or the choice of two additional regular-season games. UD will have played 30 games this season when it tips off in the Atlantic 10 tournament in March.

UD isn’t planning to play in an exempt tourney next year but will compete in ESPN’s Old Spice Classic in Orlando, Fla., in 2011. Wabler is actively pursuing another return to Maui.

Shoemaker gladly would welcome the Flyers back to Puerto Rico in four years. They’ve substantially outdrawn the other participants this year, bringing 500-to-600 fans to each game.

“They’re a tremendous traveling team,” Shoemaker said. “They bring great fan support. It’s a class program.

“I spent some time with the president (Dan Curran), and I can’t tell you what a refreshing guy he is. The athletic director is one of the classy people in all of college sports, and the coaching staff is incredibly easy to work with. And they have a pretty good basketball team on top of that. Why wouldn’t you want them?”

Contact this reporter at  (937) 225-2125 or at dharris@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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