Dayton season preview: Ranking quality of annual exempt tournaments

Dayton returns to the Battle 4 Atlantis on Paradise Island in Nassau, Bahamas, in November for the second time and first time since the 2018-19 season. At the moment, the eight teams teams in the tournament have an average Ken Pomeroy preseason rating of 47.8.

That would make this the third-strongest November tournament Dayton has played in over the years. The field includes: No. 4 Tennessee; No. 8 Kansas; No. 24 Dayton; No. 36 Southern California; No. 44 BYU; No. No. 55 Wisconsin, Dayton’s first-round opponent; No. 81 North Carolina State; and No. 130 Butler

Here’s how the fields of Dayton’s past tournaments rank. This list includes all the events Dayton has played in since 2002 — when the Pomeroy rankings began — that feature three games at one site in an eight-team tournament. All rankings listed are from KenPom.com.

1. 2013 Maui Invitational

Average Pomeroy ranking: 38.

Highest-ranked team: No. 18 Syracuse.

Champion: Syracuse.

Dayton’s results: The No. 42 Flyers finished third. They beat No. 24 Gonzaga 84-79, lost 67-66 to No. 29 Baylor and beat No. 60 California 82-64.

2. 2019 Maui Invitational

Average Pomeroy ranking: 40.9

Highest-ranked team: No. 1 Kansas.

Champion: Kansas.

Dayton’s results: The No. 4 Flyers finished second. They beat No. 94 Georgia 80-61 and No. 104 Virginia Tech 89-62 and lost 90-84 to Kansas in overtime.

3. 2015 Advocare Invitational

Average Pomeroy ranking: 48.

Highest-ranked team: No. 13 Wichita State.

Champion: No. 14 Xavier.

Dayton's results: The No. 59 Flyers finished second in Orlando, Fla. It beat No. 23 Iowa 82-77 and No. 95 Monmouth 73-70 and lost 90-61 to Xavier.

4. 2021 ESPN Events Invitational

Average Pomeroy rating: 54.1

Champion: No. 45 Dayton

Dayton’s results: The Flyers beat No. 41 Miami, No. 3 Kansas and No. 86 Belmont.

4. 2018 Battle 4 Atlantis

Average Pomeroy ranking: 71.

Highest-ranked team: No. 1 Virginia.

Champion: Virginia.

Dayton's results: The No. 62 Flyers finished fourth in the Bahamas. They beat No. 72 Butler 69-64, lost 66-59 to Virginia and lost 65-54 to No. 32 Oklahoma.

5. 2009 Puerto Rico Tip-Off

Average Pomeroy ranking: 77.

Highest-ranked team: No. 6 Kansas State.

Champion: No. 17 Villanova.

Dayton's results: The No. 26 Flyers finished fourth in San Juan. They beat No. 31 Georgia Tech 63-59 and lost 71-65 to Villanova and 83-75 to Kansas State.

6. 2003 Maui Invitational

Average Pomeroy ranking: 103.

Highest-ranked team: No. 53 Villanova.

Champion: No. 74 Dayton.

Dayton's results: The Flyers won the championship, beating No. 273 Central Michigan 82-63, No. 111 San Diego State 76-71 and No. 78 Hawaii 82-72.

7. 2012 Charleston Classic

Average Pomeroy ranking: 104.

Highest-ranked team: No. 28 Baylor.

Champion: No. 45 Colorado.

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Dayton's results: The No. 67 Flyers finished fifth in South Carolina. They lost 67-57 to Colorado and then beat No. 107 Boston College 87-71 and No. 197 Auburn 73-63.

8. 2017 Charleston Classic

Average Pomeroy ranking: 106.

Highest-ranked team: No. 14 Clemson.

Champion: No. 86 Temple.

Dayton's results: The No. 172 Flyers finished sixth. They lost 72-69 to No. 157 Hofstra, beat No. 193 Ohio 79-65 and lost 75-67 to No. 64 Old Dominion.

9. 2014 Puerto Rico Tip-Off

Average Pomeroy ranking: 116.

Highest-ranked team: No. 25 West Virginia.

Champion: West Virginia.

Dayton's results: The No. 42 Flyers finished third. They beat No. 54 Texas A&M 55-53, lost 75-64 to No. 73 Connecticut and beat No. 110 Boston College 65-53.

10. 2016 Wooden Legacy

Average Pomeroy ranking: 120.

Highest-ranked team: No. 16 UCLA.

Champion: UCLA.

Dayton's results: The No. 39 Flyers finished fifth in Anaheim, Calif. They lost 80-78 to No. 107 Nebraska, beat No. 280 Portland 84-74 and beat No. 119 New Mexico 64-57.

11. 2011 Old Spice Classic

Average Pomeroy ranking: 131.

Highest-ranked team: No. 52 Minnesota.

Champion: No. 69 Dayton.

Dayton’s results: The Flyers beat No. 211 Wake Forest 80-76, No. 113 Fairfield 56-59 and Minnesota 86-70 to win the championship in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.