Dayton Flyers

Matt Kavanuagh has 13 offensive rebounds in two games in Orlando.

The University of Dayton will take on Tubby Smith’s Minnesota Golden Gophers Sunday night in the championship game of the Old Spice Classic in Orlando, Fla.  The game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN2, ESPN3.com and ESPN3D.  UD comes into the game 4-1 on the season while Minnesota is 6-0.

The Flyers secured a spot in the championship game by defeating Wake Forest in the first round and Fairfield, a team that returns four starters from a team that won 28 games a year ago.  Minnesota edged DePaul, coach by former Dayton coach Oliver Purnell in the first round and Indiana State in the semifinals.

The Flyer Faithful has also made a name for itself at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex during the tournament.  Nearly 1,000 Dayton fans, almost as many as all the other teams in the tournament combined, have cheered the team on in the two victories.  National coverage on ESPN and local coverage in the Orlando News-Sentinel have drawn notice to the support.

And coach Archie Miller and the UD players themselves have talked in post-game press conferences about how important the fans have been in helping the team to the championship game.

Even if you are not in Orlando, you can help support the Flyers by becoming a member of the new Champions & Scholars Fund.  Created in October of last year, the Champions & Scholars Fund assists UD student-athletes in obtaining an outstanding education while simultaneously competing for championships.

Become a Champions & Scholars Member

More info on the Champions & Scholars Fund

In its inaugural year, the Champions & Scholars Fund gathered over 2,600 members from 38 states.  This year, the goal of the Champions & Scholars Fund is to increase memberships to over 3,000.  Because UD athletics understands the value of your support, the Champions & Scholars Fund also serves as a vehicle to appropriately recognize those who contribute to athletics.  Help us continue our academic and athletic success by becoming a member today!