| UD Flyers 2009-10 | ||
|---|---|---|
| How the Flyers finished with a 25-12 record: | ||
| Nov. 14 | Creighton | W, 90-80 |
| Nov. 19 | Georgia Tech (Puerto Rico) | W, 63-59 |
| Nov. 20 | Villanova (Puerto Rico) | L, 71-65 |
| Nov. 22 | Kansas State (Puerto Rico) | L, 83-75 |
| Nov. 28 | Towson | W, 74-69 |
| Dec. 2 | at Miami | W, 65-58 |
| Dec. 5 | Lehigh | W, 89-71 |
| Dec. 8 | at George Mason | W, 56-55 |
| Dec. 11 | Old Dominion | W, 58-50 |
| Dec. 19 | Presbyterian | W, 71-52 |
| Dec. 21 | Appalachian State | W, 65-49 |
| Dec. 29 | Boston University | W, 74-60 |
| Jan. 1 | at New Mexicso | L, 68-66 |
| Jan. 5 | Ball State | W, 59-35 |
| Jan. 9 | Duquesne | W, 78-72 |
| Jan. 13 | at Fordham | W, 74-58 |
| Jan. 16 | at Xavier | L, 78-74 |
| Jan. 20 | George Washington | W, 66-51 |
| Jan. 23 | at Saint Joseph’s | L, 60-59 |
| Jan. 26 | Rhode Island | L, 65-64 |
| Jan. 30 | at St. Bonaventure | W, 75-58 |
| Feb. 6 | Xavier | W, 90-65 |
| Feb. 10 | Charlotte | W, 75-47 |
| Feb. 13 | at Saint Louis | L, 68-65 |
| Feb. 18 | La Salle | W, 68-54 |
| Feb. 21 | at Duquesne | L, 73-71 |
| Feb. 24 | at Temple | L, 49-41 |
| Feb. 27 | Massachusetts | W, 96-68 |
| March 4 | at Richmond | L, 60-56 |
| March 6 | Saint Louis | L, 71-66 |
| A-10 tourney | ||
| March 9 | George Washington | W, 70-60 |
| March 12 | Xavier | L, 78-73 |
| NIT | ||
| March 17 | Illinois State | W, 63-42 |
| March 22 | at Cincinnati | W, 81-66 |
| March 24 | at Illinois | W, 77-71 |
| March 30 | Ole Miss | W, 68-63 |
| April 1 | North Carolina | W, 79-68 |
DAYTON — Senior guards Mickey Perry and Rob Lowery had their arms draped over each other’s shoulders in the giddy aftermath of the University of Dayton’s NIT championship win.
Those two transferred into the program, but they’ve experienced both triumphant moments and tormenting spells, just like fellow seniors Kurt Huelsman, London Warren, Marcus Johnson, Dan Fox and Luke Hendrick.
“We’ve all been through a tough season,” Lowery said. “We really wanted to make the (NCAA) tournament. After we didn’t make it, we had another goal. We knew God had something in store for us. And what he had in store was (an NIT title). We took what we had to do and got it done.”
The Flyers tugged on NIT championship T-shirts for the postgame celebration after whipping North Carolina, 79-68, Thursday night in New York. They also received NIT watches for their efforts.
“I feel blessed to be out here with my brothers — Rob, London, Marcus, Kurt, Foxy, Luke,” Perry said. “A lot of people don’t get to end their careers with a (postseason) win, and we get to end our career with a win.”
Asked how long they’d remember the night, Perry and Lowery answered in unison, “Forever.”
Lowery added: “We’ve been talking about that the whole time, that we’d remember this thing for the rest of our lives. And when we meet back up again in 20 years, we can always discuss how all of this was a major part of our lives.”
After conquests of BCS conference foes Cincinnati, Illinois, Mississippi and North Carolina, the media in New York tried to paint UD as a team striking a blow for mid-major programs. UD coach Brian Gregory bristled at that notion.
“We are not a mid-major,” he said. “What defines that? We get 13,000 people at every game. We have great facilities, better than a lot of teams. ... Did those players look like mid-major players to you?
“There’s the BCS and we are a notch below that. We have done a pretty good job against BCS teams, though. Why is that? Our guys are good enough to play at that level but maybe are missing something, just one thing. But they have BCS major-college heart and character, and that’s why we’ve been successful.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2125 or at dharris@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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