Five members of Dayton’s 2014 Elite Eight team, including Vee Sanford, who hit the game-winning shot against the Buckeyes in the first round of the NCAA tournament that season, will have to wait until the third round 0f the $2 million winner-takes-all tournament to play the Buckeyes — if both teams advance that far.
The bracket was released Tuesday. The Red Scare is a No. 3 seed in the Columbus Region and will play No. 6 seed The Region in the first round at 3 p.m. July 19 at Capital University in Bexley. The Region has players from all over the country, including E’Twaun Moore, a 2,000-point scorer at Purdue from 2007-11.
Dayton’s first-round game will be televised on ESPN3. Second-round games take place July 20, and the third round takes place July 21.
Games in the Columbus Region will be played on the home court of former Flyer Damon Goodwin. The longtime Capital coach will coach the Red Scare.
If the Dayton team wins its first game, its second-round opponent would be No. 2 seed Kohl Blooded, a team of Wisconsin alumni, or No. 7 Mid-American Unity, a team made up of former Mid-American Conference players.
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The Ohio State team, Carmen’s Crew, is the No. 1 seed in the eight-team region. Its roster includes Aaron Craft, who defended Vee Sanford on his winning shot and then missed a shot at the buzzer as Dayton won 60-59 in Buffalo, N.Y.
In addition to Sanford, the Red Scare roster includes Devin Oliver, Dyshawn Pierre, Kendall Pollard and Kyle Davis, who all played on the Elite Eight team. Kevin Dillard, Josh Cunningham and Darrell Davis are also on the roster. The players will wear a No. 5 patch on their uniforms to honor late Dayton center Steve McElvene.
An ESPN.com article ranked Dayton's roster, which was put together by former walk-ons Jeremiah Bonsu and Joey Gruden, as the 21st best in the 64 team tournament.
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