CONGRATULATIONS !

[Flyer Foe]

Congratlulations on your huge 71-64 win at Notre Dame and # 8 ranking in both polls !

The Dayton Flyers are also 18-2, but unfortunately, have gone unnoticed in the polls, largely due to their SOS ranking of # 187, but that is projected to improve to about # 100 by the end of the season.

The Dayton Flyers and Xavier Musketeers should win their next 4 games, setting up a February 11th match-up at UD Arena between 22-2 Dayton and 21-2 Xavier.

In any event, Marquette's loss to Dayton will not be considered a bad loss, and Dayton's projected 26-5 regular-season record will certainly be helpful to your SOS.


During the 60's, 70's, and early 80's, Notre Dame was Dayton's # 1 rival, and we played Notre Dame once or twice every year.

Unfortunately for Dayton, we defeated too many ranked Irish teams for their liking, so they decided to cancel their annual series with the Flyers.

Congratulations again on a very impressive victory !

We look forward to playing you again at the end of March !

Best wishes in your quest for the Big East title and in the Big East Tournament !

Flyer Foe


 

[mu_hilltopper]

Thanks, FlyerFoe.  Here's hoping we can get a home and home going with you guys in the future.

[CTWarrior]

Back when I was at MU, ND, Dayton and DePaul were the big games (along with Wisconsin).  It would be nice if we could work it out so we played Dayton every year, opposite the Wisconsin game (UW at home, Dayton on the road and vice versa).  But I guess flexibility is everything these days.

[Flyer Foe]

The Flyer Faithful would love to resume an annual home-and-home with Marquette, but MU isn't interested, because the Flyers have won our last two meetings, and losing to lowly Dayton is considered a "bad loss" by Big East teams, regardless of Dayton's record or RPI ranking.

Flyers have won 4 of their last 5 games against BE opponents during the past 3 seasons:

(1) a win over Marquette in Chicago
(2) a win over Pittsburgh at UD Arena (by 25 points in 2007-08)
(3) a win over Louisville at Louisville in 2007-08
(4) a win over Louisville in Cincinnati in 2006-07
(5) . . . and a loss at Pittsburgh in 2006-07

Hopefully, the Flyers' return to respectability will change the thinking of MU's coach and athletic director.  In my opinion, it would be a competitive series and benefit both schools. We'll see.

[MR.HAYWARD]

well unfortunately the BS pulled by Mr. Gregory has effectively burned all bridges with MU.  Since Cords and Cream have left there may be less resentment But with Cottingham and Wild still around I dont see it happening.  Remeber Dayton fans who ended the series....and it wasnt MU.

[Flyer Foe]

That doesn't match my recollection, but you certainly could be right.

Could you elaborate ?  Perhaps we got the wrong story in Dayton.

[mu_hilltopper]

I think bad history, scheduling, and money has more to do with it than saying "Marquette is scared of Dayton".  

One item that is indeed problematic (for us scheduling Dayton) is that for the last 4 seasons, now that we're in the Big East .. our conference schedule is brutal.   We need to increase the W count during OOC .. plus the season ticket holders aren't screaming (as much) as they used to, since we get 9 quality BE games at the Bradley Center.

[Flyer Foe]

Please accept my apology if I chose the wrong words. I certainly did not mean to imply that "Marquette is scared of Dayton".  Everyone who follows college basketball knows that simply is not true.

Marquette has a great team in the best conference in the country. Dayton has a pretty good team in the 9th-best conference in the country. That's a world of difference.

My point is that losing to Xavier would not be considered a "bad loss" by a BE team, but losing to Dayton would be, and BE head coaches and ADs try to avoid scheduling bad losses. 

In any event, the Flyer Faithful will be rooting for Marquette to win the BE, and I think that you will.

[MR.HAYWARD]

3 years ago Dayton was scheduled to come to MU and finish a home and home.  Game was scheduled for a saturday, Mu got a big game with some one on NAtional TV and only day to play it was the day of the Dayton Game.  MU contacted Dayton to switch to a mutually agreeable reschedule date and DAyton refused and opted out of the game entirely on the grounds of breach of contract.  Mu still played the big game but were forced to puchase  agme with Podunk state...therefore having to spend alot of money for a last minute buy game and hurting their SOS by losing a Dayton game and gaining a Buy game.  Obviously some times things dont work out but form the details I got Dayton was absolutely unflxible and had absolutely zero interest in working with us.  The way the Mu people were treted they said it was clear Dayton saw it purely as a way out of coming to MU and playing a really good team and probably  getting beat and were complete a-holes in their refusal to find a good resolution.  This was also about the same time one of our arch rivals-  Wisconsin moved a game with us to accomidate us...our arch rival and then Dayton pulled what they did.  I know Mu was very upet and said " Fine but they are simply crossed off the list there are dozens and dozens of other good teams we can play home and homes with we will not deal with anyone who pulls that on us"  again sentimnet may have changed as the guard changes...but the feeling At Mu was Dayton owes us a game, and that the only acceptable manner in which a series would resumes would be to start with a 2 for 1, witht he first two at MU.   Now of course Dayton will feel this is unacceptable they were jsutified and wells ladies and gents that is why we aint playing Dayton anymore.

[Flyer Foe]

Thanks for the information.  I have no reason doubt its authenticity, but we didn't get that story in Dayton, and it is most unfortunate.

All I can say is that I'm sorry that UD was not more accomodating under the circumstances, and hope that time will heal that wound.

In any event, both schools will be around for a long, long time and I would be very surprised if the series is not eventually resumed.

Some time in the not-too-distant future, we may even be in the same conference.  Rumours about the BE football schools splitting from the BE basketball-only schools surface every year.  I could see that happening in a few years, but that's anybody's guess at this point.