Flyers fans on campus react to the team’s NCAA loss Saturday

Fans sporting UD and Flyers gear could be seen through windows of the bars and restaurants near Kiefaber and Lowe’s streets, though outdoor seating and patios were left empty, likely due to the afternoon’s brisk winds and cool temperatures.

As the game wound down and it became clear that the Flyers would not be able to close the two-digit deficit, fans trickled outside.

“It was a tough look today,” said Derek Smith, who had watched the game from inside Timothy’s Pub & Grill.

Smith, a 2019 UD alum, said the outcome, while disappointing, was not a shock.

“I think it was as expected,” he said. “They only lost by 10, the spread was 9 1/2, and it’s kind of what you get with a No. 7 seed versus a No. 2 seed team.”

Smith lives in Cleveland but was in town with friend and fellow UD alum Sean Brown, of Cincinnati.

The Flyers trailed by 17 in the first half and trimmed the deficit to seven (40-33) by halftime.

Brown said it was around this time he thought the team might pull it off.

And while Dayton got as close at 3 points (52-49) with 11:40 to play in the second half, Arizona pulled away from there.

“I thought they were pretty close but they just couldn’t get a stop after awhile, which is unfortunate,” he said.

After the Flyers game, Smith and Brown headed to the UD Arena to watch another tournament game, this time an OHSAA game between schools Delaware Hayes and St. Ignatius, the high school the two friends attended in Cleveland.

“We’re hoping for a state championship for St. Ignatius, so we’ll see if they can figure it out,” Smith joked.

Jorge and Denise Monroy also watched the game from a restaurant on Brown Street.

The two Daytonians both graduated from UD in the early 2000s and have remained Flyers fans since.

Jorge said he thought the team gave it their all Saturday, but that he was hoping for more Flyers tournament games.

“As a fan, you of course want your team to keep going, but with Arizona being ranked second, it’s tough,” he said. “I think, overall, they did well, but the better team won, unfortunately.”