UD tourney home game boosts interest, sales

Global recognition helps showcase Dayton, local leaders say.


First Four games

Who: Hampton vs. Manhattan, BYU vs. Ole Miss (Tueday); Robert Morris vs. North Florida, Dayton vs. Boise State (Wednesday)

When: 6:40 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday

Where: University of Dayton Arena

FULL-COURT COVERAGE

INSIDE TODAY’S PAPER

  • The First Four's boost to local businesses, B1
  • Complete coverage on UD's men's and women's NCAA teams, C1
  • Breakdown on tonight's games at UD Arena, C3

ONLINE: Join our 11 a.m. chat today with voice of the Flyers Larry Hansgen, WHIO sports director Mike Hartsock and UD beat writer David Jablonski at MyDaytonDailyNews.com. Join the conversation at DaytonDailyNews.com/collegehoops. Enter our "Battle of the Brackets" at DaytonDailyNews.com/brackets

UNMATCHED COVERAGE

The Dayton Daily News has 10 reporters and photographers covering local the Flyers men’s and women’s teams in the NCAA tournament.

Initial shock about the University of Dayton men’s basketball team playing at home in the First Four gave way to surging ticket sales and a buzz around campus and the city Monday.

And organizers of First Four events say they still expect a strong economic impact for the city.

Many bracket experts and fans thought UD would be seeded anywhere from No. 8 to No. 10 and get a first-round bye. Instead, the NCAA told the 11th-seeded Flyers that they will stay home for a first-round game against Boise State, requiring them to win to advance to Friday’s second round in Columbus.

“People were talking (Sunday) about Dayton playing in the First Four and the run they made last year” to the Elite Eight, said Jeff Hoagland, president and CEO of the Dayton Development Coalition. “To me, that’s great for the Dayton region that more and more people globally are hearing Dayton, and that helps with business expansion and recruitment. This is a great opportunity to showcase Dayton again.”

Single-session tickets to Wednesday night’s games are sold out.

Prior to the NCAA Selection Show on Sunday, approximately 3,500 tickets were left for Wednesday night’s game, but those were bought up quickly once it was revealed UD would play in its home venue, according to Adam Tschuor, UD assistant director of athletics for ticketing and sales.

About 500 single-session tickets are still available for tonight’s games, Tschuor said.

“Wednesday’s game definitely spiked some interest,” Tschuor said. “Certainly from a host perspective, we’re pleased to see the response.”

Tschuor recommends fans visit PrimeSport, an NCAA partner, or other official secondary markets, such as StubHub, for tickets. As of late Monday afternoon, tickets started at about $90 each on StubHub for Wednesday’s games.

Scott DeBolt, UD senior associate director of athletics and director of UD Arena, said that because a larger crowd is expected Wednesday night, there will be a 10-to-15 percent increase in event staff and security.

“Our basic plan stays in place, but we’ll ramp things up a little bit,” DeBolt said.

Adjustments will be made to parking, security and traffic plans, he said. Also, additional security will be on hand today when UD has its open practice from 1:35-2:15 p.m.

“This is another good opportunity for us to showcase UD Arena and what the Dayton region does for the First Four,” DeBolt said. “Hopefully it goes off as another successful event.”

Shawn Robinson, a UD spokesman, said no changes are being made to the campus security measures that were announced last week in preparation for St. Patrick’s Day and the First Four games.

Parking restrictions, an increased police presence and a new crowd management team are among the precautions UD put in place after two years of celebrations that turned dangerous on campus.

When UD advanced to the Elite Eight last year, crowds of students gathered in the streets, resulting in more than 30 people being criminally charged, with more being held accountable for violating the school’s code of conduct, the university said.

“There has to be a line drawn, and unfortunately last year, they took advantage of the kindness,” said Lt. Joe Wiesman of the Dayton Police Department. “This year, we’re not going to allow that to happen.”

Wiesman said that knowing UD is playing here, and what time, helps the department plan for celebrations and larger crowds.

“Celebrating is expected,” he said. “It’s just the safety issues cannot be tolerated, so that’s going to be our big focus — to ensure everybody has a good time and nobody’s inconvenienced by others who maybe take it a little bit too far.”

UD senior Brooke Scollin, an executive board member of the Red Scare student organization, said there’s “buzz everywhere” on campus.

“We know what can happen,” said Scollin. “We love our school. We want to have fun, but do it in a clean, classy manner. We’re going to be careful.”

Red Scare President Ryan Phillips said the organization was given an allotment of 150 tickets for each night. Because of the strong interest for Wednesday’s game, the Red Scare held a lottery Monday for students for those tickets.

Phillips said the tickets are scattered throughout the arena, but that doesn’t mean fans won’t know UD students are in the building.

“It will feel even more so like a home game,” Phillips said. “There will be added intensity.”

Jacquelyn Powell, president and CEO of the Dayton/Montgomery County Convention & Visitors Bureau, still projects the economic impact of the First Four games to be roughly $4.5 million.

She believes UD alumni who live in the region will travel to Dayton for the game, making up for the fact that one less team is traveling here and bringing a fan base with it.

“We won’t know until the event is over when we see how much all of this has actually brought,” Powell said.

The Flyers are 16-0 at home, although the playing floor features a neutral NCAA tourney design. If UD (25-8) beats Boise State, it will play sixth-seeded Providence Friday night in Columbus.

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