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Sander got straight to work in the lobby of the Omni Severin Hotel at 7 p.m. Wednesday after Dayton arrived in Indianapolis in advance of a 7:10 p.m. Friday game against Wichita State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. First he had to answer one question.
“When was the last time you bused to a game?” a reporter asked.
“The Duquesne game last season,” Sander said.
That was Jan. 2, 2016. The Flyer didn’t play well that day, making 3 of 25 3-pointers, though they won 66-58.
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Coach Archie Miller decided this season to fly to Pittsburgh for the Duquesne game because they had such a short turnaround from the previous game three days earlier at Massachusetts. The Flyers did play well at Duquesne this time, winning 76-57 on Jan. 14. That’s one reason they flew to Pittsburgh last week for the Atlantic 10 tournament.
There was no reason to fly to Indianapolis. It’s as close as UD has played to home since it played at Miami on Dec. 3, 2014. That doesn’t count a secret scrimmage against Marquette in October of this season when the Flyers got a look at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Little did they know they would be back for the biggest game of the season.
Dayton is 5-6 all time in Indianapolis. It last played at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, which used to be called Conseco Fieldhouse, in 2001. The Flyers beat Purdue 83-72. Dayton played one game at the Pacers’ previous home, Market Square Arena, losing 69-66 to Evansville in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference tournament in 1993.
Miller called Indianapolis a great city and was glad the team had an easy trip to the big dance.
“We had a couple good workouts leading into it,” he said after arriving. “We’ll get settled in tonight and really start to dive into some film with the team. Tomorrow will be a jam-packed day with media and all that. But this is the fun part for the team.”
UD TOURNAMENT LEGENDS: Negele Knight in 1990; Roosevelt Chapman in 1984; Mike Sylvester in 1974; Don May in 1967; Hank Finkel in 1966.
The Flyers (24-7) are a No. 7 seed in the South Region. Their preparation for No. 10 seed Wichita State (30-4) began Sunday as soon as the selection show ended.
Work will continue with a 4:25 p.m. practice Thursday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, the home of the Indiana Pacers. Former Flyer Brian Roberts played there Wednesday night with the Charlotte Hornets.
Dayton’s practice is open to the public. Fans can attend for free. They won’t see Dayton giving away its game plan. That kind of work takes place away from the court.
“You have to prepare your team to do what you’ve done all year the best you possibly can,” Miller said. “Like we told them the other day, at this time of the year, playing good isn’t good enough. You have to play great.”
FRIDAY’S GAME
Dayton vs. Wichita State, 7:10 p.m., WHIO Ch. 7, FM 95.7, AM 1290 WHIO
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