Famous Dayton Alumni

[Galway Eagle]

UDPride & FieldhouseFlyer of course.

I can tell you from the A10's perspective, those institutions are not going anywhere -- namely Xavier, Dayton, St. Louis, Butler, St. Joe, etc.  The league just expanded with Butler and VCU and is the best basketball only league in the country.

There is zero incentive for some of those schools to pick up and leave the complete security, certainty, and future of the A10, for some half-baked new conference in a new world order of college athletics that has exit fees, entrance fees, unknown certainty, unknown security, new rivals, new geographies, new travel partners, no TV package, and no automatic postseason NCAA bid.

The A10 members are exactly where they want to be. They are ALREADY in a good, stable, secure basketball conference with 100% security.  The postseason tourney is moving to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn this season. Everything about the league is on the up-tick. It is a destination league for basketball schools -- not an exit platform. The only schools leaving are those with grandiose, half-baked plans for BCS football.

Furthermore, the A10 doesn't even need to expand. They are going to be at 14 teams when the smoke clears from Charlotte and Temple. Going to 16 is not a priority or even likely a roundtable agenda item. The only way Marquette or DePaul associates with A10 basketball schools is if they beg for mercy and the A10 sends them an invitation. The BE hoops schools are no longer driving this train; they are in the caboose at the mercy of everyone else. They lost all of their leverage because they held on to football money for far too long. The time to get out was about five years ago. That window has passed because other conferences have been proactive to improve their own situations and lock in their future identities.

Fans thinking they can just break from the BE football schools and "the A10 brand schools will follow us" are over-reaching. Marquette and DePaul simply dont have the leverage anymore. Your name alone does not trump conference security -- and the A10 already has that.  The A10 will never be the Big East of 5 years ago, but nothing ever will.  But it doesnt have to be. The thing about A10 schools is they've never tried to be something they aren't.  While it may have cost them in terms of money and prestige over the last 10 years, it's paying off now because most members have always had the same goals in mind. Everyone was rowing in the same direction.

There is a lot of loyalty among member basketball institutions of the A10. Even among the haves and have-nots.  Based on performance, Fordham or Duquesne or LaSalle could have been kicked out years ago. But the conference values the relationships and sees the league as being in it together. You have members with 13,000-seat arenas and 3,000-seat Arenas.  So you can also put away the idea that the A10 will kick a couple bottomfeeders out to make room for new members. No A10 school will be asked or even encouraged to leave. If they leave, it will be of their own doing. And that's unlikely in the near future.

Having said all of this, I dont think BE basketball schools do much until Louisville and UC decide what to do. Louisville has already publicly stated they want out. UC will follow in their shadow (or attempt to).  The Big East is a giant fustercluck however. You have teams spread all over the country, abysmal scheduling issues and odd travel and travel partners, fewer and fewer historical rivalries, fractured fan bases from different geographies with little or nothing in common, and two completely different sets of academic and spiritual values trying to homogenize.  You have small private catholic schools trying to assimilate with large state schools attempting to become a football factory.  You might as well be mixing oil and water.

The A10 has none of these problems. Which is why those members are putting roots down.

I genuinely don't know where some of you are getting your information from. Congratulations to Marquette, who impressively rose in Niche's National Rankings from #277 to #203, and in their Catholic College Rankings from #20 to #13.

2025 Best Colleges in America - Niche.com • 2025 Best Catholic Colleges in America - Niche.com

2024 Best Catholic Colleges in America - Niche.com – published on Friday, August 25, 2023

1. Georgetown University (National Ranking: #12 of 1,537)
2. University of Notre Dame (#27) 
4. Villanova University (#56)
7. University of Dayton (#128)
--- University of Connecticut (#136)
10. Saint Louis University (#191)
11. Creighton University (#196)
15. DePaul University (#213)
20. Marquette University (#277)
24. Seton Hall University (#315)
29. Gonzaga University (#351)
---- Butler University (#382)
40. Providence College (#426)
86. Xavier University (#803)
106. St. John's university (#943)

2025 Best Catholic Colleges in America - Niche.com – published on Friday, August 23, 2024

1. Georgetown University (National Ranking: #12 of 1,517)  
2. University of Notre Dame (#36)  
4. Villanova University (#64)  
--- University of Connecticut (#87)
7. University of Dayton (#161)
8. Saint Louis University (#179)  
11. Creighton University (#195)
13. Marquette University (#203)
17. DePaul University (#270)
20. Seton Hall University (#317)  
24. Gonzaga University (#337)
---- Butler University (#372)
41. Providence College (#505)
49. St. John's university (#562)
55. Xavier University (#603)  
Your father is a wise man.
I agree, but more importantly, so do the professional analysts who calculate and compile the Niche.com college rankings.

Methodology - 2025 Best Colleges in America - Niche.com – published on Friday, August 23, 2024
.

Dayton really pumping out some heavy hitters as the

Forbes: 169th
U.S. News & World Report: 136th
Washington Monthly: 137th
Wall Street Journal 78th

Ranked school in the USA.

[Uncle Rico]

Dayton sucks

[tower912]

I am thoroughly enjoying the banter today with my UD alum family and friends.

[Uncle Rico]

I am thoroughly enjoying the banter today with my UD alum family and friends.

Tell them I said Dayton sucks

[tower912]

Nah.  They aren't interested.   I am just really glad that my relationships with them and my own sense of self worth is not tied to the MU/UD game.

[brewcity77]

[Tyler COLEk]

Man, that UDPride post is such a classic. An all-time Scoop moment.

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

Man, that UDPride post is such a classic. An all-time Scoop moment.

It may be up there with hoopaloop, bma blasting off and ners bragging about dunking in high school.

[GB Warrior]

I hope everyone on this board is feeling nicey after Saturday

[Newsdreams]

I hope everyone on this board is feeling nicey after Saturday

Still wasted

[DoctorV]

I hope everyone on this board is feeling nicey after Saturday

Yes!!!

Need all the nicey vids leading up to gametime.

[iammartino]

[Galway Eagle]

[🏀]

[BLWarrior91]

Mark Giangreco?  Nice one!

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

A few more.

[mug644]

Man, that UDPride post is such a classic. An all-time Scoop moment.

Reading that again, I think (with smirky smile on my face) of "Done deal."

[TallTitan34]

Man, that UDPride post is such a classic. An all-time Scoop moment.

First ballot Hall-of-Famer.

[🏀]

[Shaka Shart]

[GB Warrior]

First ballot Hall-of-Famer.

Been awhile since we've done a Scoop bracket

[Shaka Shart]

Remember when Obi Toppin won NPOY because he was good at dunking

[MU1in77]

My bride, who I met at MU in the 70's, grew up in Dayton and her two sisters went to UD. In fact her brother in law was the Athletic Director there who hired Archie Miller. So we have some bragging rights riding on this game.

[Shooter McGavin]

My bride, who I met at MU in the 70's, grew up in Dayton and her two sisters went to UD. In fact her brother in law was the Athletic Director there who hired Archie Miller. So we have some bragging rights riding on this game.

Should be a fun game.  Thanks for sharing.   Will be there with some Dayton alums hoping for a Marquette beat down of the Flyers. 

[tower912]

My bride, who I met at MU in the 70's, grew up in Dayton and her two sisters went to UD. In fact her brother in law was the Athletic Director there who hired Archie Miller. So we have some bragging rights riding on this game.

I have family (sister, BIL) and friends who are Dayton Alumni.  I was born near there and lived in Dayton until I was 5.  I still have family in the area.  I have no animus toward UD.  But MU needs to beat them.