DaytonDailyNews.com

DAYTON — Although they have a close relationship, Brian Gregory hasn't turned to Michigan State coach Tom Izzo for a scouting report on Ohio State.

The fifth-year Dayton coach said conferences don't allow teams to share information about other league members. And besides, Izzo's busy.

"Right now, coach Izzo has Memphis on Friday (in the NCAA tournament)," Gregory said. "Coach Izzo loves me, but I understand he's got a lot of other things on his mind."

Gregory, a longtime Spartans assistant, did manage to reach Izzo by phone this week, but only to needle him about two relatively snug NCAA tourney victories over Temple and Pittsburgh.

"I told him not to get a big head because we beat Temple and Pitt by more than they did," Gregory said. "Everybody's talking about what a great win that was against Pitt. We beat them by 25."

Asked Izzo's response, Gregory said, "You can't print it."

Playing time still limited

Chris Wright played just 10 minutes (scoring nine points) against Illinois State in his first game back from ankle surgery, and Gregory doesn't expect his freshman forward to log more than 15 minutes against the Buckeyes.

"As much as he did (in that game), he hadn't played basketball for nine weeks," Gregory said. "He's had six practices now. And that was a very physical game, and his body isn't used to that.

"I feel good about maybe a few more minutes."

OSU snubbed, coach says

Gregory has vented about his team being left out of the NCAA tourney, and he believes the Buckeyes have a legitimate beef, too.

"You go through their list, look at who they played and who they beat, there's no way they shouldn't be in the NCAA tournament," Gregory said.

"Jamar Butler is as good as any guard in the country. ... Their talent level is off the charts. One thing where those guys leaving early (for the NBA) hurt them was their depth. But when you go player by player, they're just really, really good."

Flyers are road warriors

The Flyers haven't slept in their own beds for three nights. They drove halfway home after playing at Illinois State on Monday, checking into an Indianapolis hotel, then arrived in Dayton about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday. After a practice at UD Arena, they left for Columbus and stayed overnight in another hotel.

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