Dayton Flyers fans, including one realistic second grader, make their season predictions

Fans can see the team for the first time Friday in exhibition game

I asked fans of the Dayton Flyers to send me their 2018-19 season predictions last week on Twitter and organized them below from most pessimistic to most optimistic.

Only one of the dozens of fans who participated thinks Dayton will follow last season’s 14-17 finish with another losing record in coach Anthony Grant’s second season. Dayton hasn’t suffered back-to-back losing seasons since it won a total of 17 games in a three-year stretch from 1992-95.

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Most fans predict the Flyers will win 20 games. Many see a NIT bid in this team’s future. Of course, as is always the case when I ask fans for their season predictions, several fans expect Dayton to go undefeated and win the national championship.

Since these fans were brave enough to make their picks, here’s mine: I think the Flyers will finish the non-conference schedule 8-5 and then go 11-7 in Atlantic 10 Conference play. After winning 19 games in the regular season, they will win one game in the A-10 tournament and finish 20-13.

Dayton plays an exhibition game at 7 p.m. Friday against Capital and then starts the season at 7 p.m. Nov. 7 against North Florida.

Seventeen wins or fewer

Peter Czyryca‏ @PC_Coms: 15-16 overall, 7-11 A-10. Grant on hot seat heading into third season at the helm.

@ProjectFridayFM: 16-15, 9-9 in A-10. I'm not particularly optimistic. Extra-medium year incoming. Happy to be wrong in the correct direction. Would prefer not to be wrong in the wrong direction.

Emily Denlinger‏ (@eujdayton): My second grader says, "16-15, 9-9 A-10, no NCAA. But if they do they will be a 15 or 16 seed." I think they will be a 7 seed for A-10 tourney and win two games."

@Charles_James1: 17-14 overall. 8-10 in the A-10. CBI Champs!! (John) Bedell walks out of Flyer Feedback after someone suggests they bring Brian Gregory back. (Eric) Spina calls in the National Guard for St. Patty's Day.

Kuris Duggan‏ (@kDuggyy): 17-14, 11-7, win A-10 Tournament, auto bid.

Eighteen wins

Fake Flyer News (@The_Kman_Did_It): 18-13 overall, 8-10 in A-10. Win at home, struggle on the road and lose a few close winnable games. Lay two eggs to be under .500 in conference.

@Chris_Pozzuto: @DaytonMBB will go 18-13, 8-10 in A-10 and lose in second round of A-10 Tourney. Will be First Four out of NCAA. They will ask me to walk-on middle of season. Sorry, used up my eligibility a few years ago.

@TimWerbrich: 18-13 overall record. Flyers lose all road A-10 games and win all of them at home for a 9-9 record. Win one in A-10 tourney, get a NIT bid.

@Fishin1007: 19-12 overall, 9-9 A-10.

Tom Payne‏ (@TomAqui1): 18-13, 9-9 A-10. No NCAA tourney.

@TomEggemeier: 18-13, 10-8 A-10.

Kevin Tuleta (@KTuleta): UD: 18-13, 10-8 A-10. VCU: 11-20, 7-11 A-10.

Nineteen wins

Aaron (@deliver20): Non-conference 11-2. Conference play 7-11, including one win in A-10 tournament play. Overall 19-13. NIT.

@CodyJoakes: 19-12, .500 in the A-10. Dwayne Cohill = A-10 Freshman of the Year. Cunningham = A-10 1st Team. Trey and Obi will bring the energy, while Jalen and Jordan Davis both have good years on offense. Obi makes the top 10 on SporstCenter multiple times. Excited to watch this young team. NIT.

Michael Douglass‏ (@mikedougy05): 19-12 overall, 10-8 in A-10. (Josh Cunningham) averages dub-dub. (Ryan) Mikesell makes 2nd Team All A-10 if not first team. Comeback Story: Obadiah Toppin will be the GOAT. (Trey) Landers will put up more posters than a political campaign volunteer. #StampItPrintItPutInTheBooks.

Zachary‏ (@zbeasley13): 19-12, 10-8 in A-10 play. Bounced in the first round of the A-10 tourney as well as the first round of the NIT.

@MattRhein86: 19-12 overall, 10-8 in the A-10. NIT Bound. Dwayne Cohill A-10 Freshman of the year. (Jalen) Crutcher, Cohill, Landers, Toppin, Cunningham the starting five by the A-10 tournament.

@LarryMeade: 19-12, 10-8 in the A-10. Dayton makes a surprising run in the A-10 tournament, winning it all. They win the first round of the NCAAs in a huge upset. Lose a nail-biter in the second round with a widely-recognized horrific call. #WeAreUD

@Adam_Gutheil: Here's my official prediction: 19-12 regular season. 10-6 A-10. Fifth place. No NCAA tourney.

Sam Girouard ‏(@GirouardMN): 19-12, 10-8 A-10. NIT Final 4. Lose to a Big 12 Team.

@DavidKonczal: 19-10, 10-8 A-10. NCAA bubble team. Most likely NIT.

@ShoweyD: 19-12. 11-7 in a very down A-10. NIT (but no home game of course!). Win total up, drama wayyyyyyy down.

Twenty wins

@Ricky2sticks: 20 wins, fourth in the A10. Early exit in A-10 tourney and NIT.

David Thomas‏ (@dthomas2003): 20-12 overall, 10-8 in the A-10.

Always Reforming‏ @Reformed75: 20-11, 10-8, third place in A-10. NIT.

@ChrisQuinlan23: 20-11, 10-8 A-10.

Stephen Collins (@scollins1991): 20-11, 10-8 in A-10, NIT.

@DebrosseMike: 20-11, A-10 champs, NCAA second round (hopefully).

Dennis Bergin‏ (@boog17): 20-11, 11-7 A-10. I think we will be better than predicted.

Chris Garcia‏ (@CGChurro95): 20-11, 11-7 A-10. We only win three road games in conference play. SLU comes back with a vengeance and sweeps Arch Baron play (which I will blame on my fiance for going to grad school there), and we lose to Butler but beat UVA because basketball.

@Eric_Heinrich: 20-11, 11-7. NIT Bid. I feel like I'm being conservative. This team is very talented. It'll really depend on how well they can mesh and how much they improve defensively now that Grant has the types of players he wants to hopefully play more high pressure D.

Chris Caulfield‏ (@CamBlamWam): Will be loads better than last year now that AG has "his team." 20-11 (11-7). Toppin and Cohill will be star freshmen and Cunningham and Crutcher first team A-10.

David Richardson‏ (@drichards883): Aaarrgghh. I think we will know in the first five games how this plays out. 20-11. Only one home loss. 12-6 A-10. A-10 semis. NIT.

John Mutschler‏ (@johnnieMuuch): 20-11, 8-5 out of conference, 12-6 A-10. NIT.

@NolanMcNulty9: 20-10, 3rd in A-10. NIT. Strong set up for year three in (Grant) era. Five-star recruit puts Dayton in final 10, eventually chooses UC. Print it.

@ToniDevelin: 20-11, 12-6 A-10. We end up as a First Four team, making everyone mad that we have home-court advantage. Win that game, lose next round.

@Jackson_Garlitz: 20-11, 12-6 A-10.

Twenty one wins

@MarkKraus54: 21-10 and 12-6. I think they will be a much better outside shooting team with Mikesell and (Jhery) Matos, and Toppin is going to big a major impact player. I think this team will surprise folks.

Pistol Pete‏ (@petermancuso14): 21-10. 13-5 A-10. Semis of A-10 tourney. Jalen and Obi have major breakout years together. Slight bubble consideration, no tourney. Obi gets to show off dunks in NIT Final 4.

Ben H‏ (@heigely_weigley: 21-10, fourth in the A-10. NIT bound. Dayton looks like they can beat any team in the A-10 and also looks like they can lose to any team in the A-10.

Twenty two wins

@BrownsFlyer: 22-9 overall, 12-6 in the A-10. NIT bound.

Colin DeBord‏ (@Cdebord16): 22-9, 12-6 in A-10. First 4 out. No. 1 seed in NIT and lose in semis.

@ders_23: 22-9 and finishes third in A-10.

Twenty four wins

@MichaelJShuey: I'm going to say Dayton will end up about 24-7 overall and 12-6 in Atlantic 10 play. Will get bounced from the NCAA tournament as a 9 or 10 seed in the second round. A marked improvement from last season to be sure, but it won't be Grant's best season as UD's head coach.

Mark Smucker (@mtkc12): 24-7 overall, 13-5 in A-10, Lose in NCAA second round. Cunningham is a beast and team finds its chemistry. I believe in Anthony Grant.

Chris Dana (@CDana1): 24-7, 14-4 in A-10, 11 seed. Cunningham has game winner in NCAA game one. Then Dayton beats 14 seed who upset 3 seed for Sweet Sixteen. Defense improves to average.

Twenty six or more wins

@BillNance79: 26-8, 12-6 A-10. Hot start to season leads to upset wins over Butler and Virginia in Battle 4 Atlantis, narrowly losing to Florida. Flyers unbeaten at home, finish third in A-10. Make run to A-10 finals, losing to surprising Duquesne. NCAA 11 seed. Beats sixth seed UC before losing to Texas.

Jack Smith‏ (@jacksmith22992): 31-0; 18-0 in A-10. Win NCAA Championship and Anthony Grant starts his run as greatest coach of our generation. Oh, and they make a movie about the greatest season in NCAA Basketball history. #GoFlyers

Short Forward‏ (@GhostMcHistory): Undefeated. UD beats Duke in Title game 109-67. I'm recruited for my dunking prowess in the Twitter game. Cunningham is A-10 POY.

Jose‏ (@DrunkBrownieElf): 100-1. First in the A-10. Arch Baron cup sweep. Make Swiss cheese of both SEC teams. Only bad game will be an absolute romping at Fordham. UD doesn't like small gyms (reference 2016/2017 seaso). Cunningham will shatter a backboard this season. National champs.

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