Dayton finishes season in top 25 for first time since 2020

Flyers finished 25-8 in 2023-24 season
Dayton's Enoch Cheeks and Nate Santos force a turnover against Nevada in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Thursday, March 21, 2024, at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. David Jablonski/Staff

Credit: David Jablonski

Credit: David Jablonski

Dayton's Enoch Cheeks and Nate Santos force a turnover against Nevada in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Thursday, March 21, 2024, at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. David Jablonski/Staff

The Dayton Flyers ranked No. 24 on Tuesday in the final Associated Press poll of the 2023-24 season.

This was the first time the AP released a basketball poll after the NCAA championship game.

Dayton (25-8) ranked in the top 25 from January into March but fell out of the poll after a loss to Duquesne in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament.

With a victory against Nevada and a loss to Arizona in the NCAA tournament, Dayton impressed enough voters to return to the top 25 in the final poll.

Connecticut won its second straight national championship by beating Purdue on Monday. UConn and Purdue ranked first and second. Alabama and Houston tied for third. Tennessee rounded out the top five.

Duquesne was the only other A-10 team to receive votes in the final poll.

This is the first time Dayton has ended the season ranked since 2020. It was No. 3 at the end of the regular season. The pandemic ended the season before Dayton played a postseason game.

Since the season ended in March, Dayton has lost three players to the transfer portal. The coaches have contacted a number of players from other schools who have entered the portal.

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