Dayton players danced in jovial and expressive fashion at midcourt and then lingered on ladders as they cut down the nets at the Mecca of basketball, Madison Square Garden. Forgive the Flyers for taking a little extra time to soak it all in. They're not accustomed to championships, or any trophy ceremonies for that matter, as the North Carolina team they had just beaten.
Marcus Johnson, looking like a modern day Dan Patrick :P, scored 20 points and Dayton denied last year's NCAA national champs yet another title in their illustrious school history, topping the Tar Heels 79-68 Thursday night to win the National Invitation Tournament.
Relying on depth, defense and some clutch 3-point shooting (obviously they were channeling their inner DP), the Flyers took home their first title in 42 years and handed North Carolina one more disheartening loss at the end of what has to be the worst season in a LONG time for the Tar Heels (Duke all the way!!!).
Reserve guard Paul Williams added 16 points for No. 3 seed Dayton (25-12), which bounced back from a disappointing regular season of its own (should have made the NCAA tourney this year as a 6-9 seed) to win its third NIT title and first since 1968 under coach Don Donoher. Picked by a majority of analysts to win the Atlantic 10 Conference, the athletic and experienced Flyers faded late in the season and missed the NCAA tournament before turning things around and finishing on a high note.
And while Dayton has been a regular in this event (this was Dayton's 22nd!! appearance in the NIT 2nd only to St. Johns' 27), it was strange to see North Carolina in the college basketball consolation tournament this year. One of the sport's true heavyweights, the Tar Heels own five NCAA national championships, including an 89-72 victory over Michigan State in last year's title game. Tom Izzo and the embattled Spartans are back in the Final Four, set to play Butler in Indianapolis on Saturday. Meanwhile, North Carolina was left to chase a consolation prize following a 16-16 regular season wrecked by injuries, leaky defense and a string of embarrassing losses. The blue bloods from Tobacco Road do have one NIT title though, which came in 1971.
The Tar Heels also fell short in their attempt to grab a somewhat perplexed piece of college basketball history. A victory would have made them the first team to follow up an NCAA national championship with an NIT crown the next year. And with officials discussing expanding the NCAA tournament to 96 teams as soon as next year (please don't let this happen NCAA), this could be the last NIT ever, an event with a rich history that dates to 1938. The NIT was the premier tournament back in the day but after the mid '60s or early '70s (it's debatable) the NCAA tournament supplanted the NIT in terms of crowning the true national champion.
If this is indeed the last NIT ever it was a fitting way to end it, a small-conference team beating a perennial powerhouse. Though an oldschool mash up of Dayton vs. St Johns wouldn't have been bad either. All in all the NIT was fun to watch this year and I'll be sad to see it go. Here's hoping the NCAA decides to keep the NCAA tourney at 64 teams so we can keep watching NIT basketball at Madison Square Garden.
Peace and Much Love to Ya :)
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