Retirees Association

DDN: March Madness forecast: Where could Wright State, Dayton end up in postseason?

Loudon Love

Excerpt from the Dayton Daily News

As the regular-season champion, Wright State (20-12) is the top seed in the Horizon League tournament and the favorite to win the championship. The Raiders beat No. 8 seed IUPUI 71-56 on Tuesday at the Nutter Center to advance to the semifinals at 7 p.m. Monday against No. 4 seed Green Bay at Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit. The championship game takes place at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Most NCAA tournament experts think Wright State will get a No. 15 seed in the NCAA tournament if it wins the Horizon League tournament. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi predicts it will get a No. 15 seed and play Tennessee in the first round in Jacksonville. Wright State played Tennessee last season as a No. 14 seed and lost 73-47.

As the Horizon League regular-season champion, Wright State is guaranteed a NIT bid if it doesn’t win the Horizon League tournament. The website, DRatings.com, lists Wright State as a No. 8 seed in the NIT. The Raiders have never played in the NIT.

Dayton (19-10) also has a chance to play in the NIT if it doesn’t win the Atlantic 10 tournament, which starts next week at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. It’s listed as a No. 4 seed in the NIT prediction.