The biggest question is who the Flyers will play and where will they play. Here’s a glance at the cities that will host the first and second rounds:
Thursday-Saturday games
Buffalo, N.Y., KeyBank Center: Dayton played here in the 2014 tournament and beat Ohio State and Syracuse. The arena was called the First Niagara Center then. Dayton seniors Scoochie Smith, Kendall Pollard and Kyle Davis would see their careers come full circle. All three played parts in those victories three seasons ago.
Milwaukee, Wisc., BMO Harris Bradley Center: This game would be a homecoming for freshman forward Kostas Antetokounmpo, who is sitting out the season as a partial qualifier. He's the brother of Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who wouldn't be able to attend these games because the Bucks are on a west-coast trip all weekend.
Orlando, Fla., Amway Center: UD played in the Advocare Invitational in Orlando in 2015 at ESPN's Wide World of Sports. The temperature in Orlando next Thursday is forecast to be 72 degrees.
Salt Lake City, Utah, EnergySolutions Arena: UD was sent west to St. Louis for the first round last season. In 2009, it went to Minneapolis. In 2003, it played in Spokane, Wash. In 2000, it played in 2000. The precedent is certainly there for UD to play far from home.
Friday-Sunday games
Greenville, S.C., Bon Secours Wellness Arena: UD lost its bid to host games in the first and second round to Greenville. Cities bid on the games when the NCAA decided to take away the games from Greensboro, N.C.
Indianapolis, Ind., Bankers Life Fieldhouse: All the UD fans will hope the Flyers end up here, 117 miles from Dayton.
Tulsa, Okla., BOK Center: The Flyers lost to Tulsa in the 2003 NCAA tournament but have played only one game in the state of Oklahoma in their history.
Sacramento, Calif., Golden 1 Center: This destination is the worst-case scenario for the Flyer Faithful. Sacramento is 2,305 miles from Dayton.
About the Author