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UD men, women on national stage

Tonight, women play Tennessee at 7 p.m. on ESPN2, then men play UC at 9 p.m. on ESPN.

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By Kyle Nagel, Staff Writer 9:44 PM Sunday, March 21, 2010

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tim Wabler, the University of Dayton athletic director, had a decision to make after the UD women’s basketball team advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

The women will play Tennessee in a second-round game at 7 p.m. tonight, March 22, at Thompson-Boling Arena. But, the men’s basketball team will play at 9 p.m. in an NIT second-round game at Cincinnati.

Wabler can’t be in both places at once, so he’ll head back for the men’s game while Mike Kelly, the senior associate athletic director, stays in Knoxville.

UD fans watching at home, though, won’t have to make the same choice.

In a major coup for national exposure, the men’s and women’s teams will play back-to-back games on ESPN properties in postseason tournaments. With the constant pressure and focus on gaining access to national broadcasts, the evening will be a significant triumph for the athletic department.

“We’ll be part of the national attention from 7 to 11 o’clock,” Wabler said.

The women’s team made the most of its ESPN2 exposure on Saturday by rallying from an 18-point, second-half deficit to top TCU and advance to play top-seeded Tennessee. UD coach Jim Jabir didn’t mince words when asked about the importance of the win to the program.

“It’s literally everything,” Jabir said. “You take steps to continue your progress and your growth of the program. For us to achieve success (Saturday) and to win and come back in the fashion we did — and then get the opportunity to coach against a legendary coach in a legendary place against all these All-Americans — is just one more step in our trajectory.”

Contact this reporter at  (937) 225-7389 or  knagel@DaytonDailyNews.com.