NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 24 teams in 2020 “The Basketball Tournament”
By Max Marmitt
10. The Basketball Tournament power rankings – Red Scare
Actual Ranking: #8 – Round of 16 Matchup: Winner of Big X/Jackson TN Underdawgs on July 8th
It’s a shame that Dayton’s championship-caliber team didn’t get the opportunity to compete for an NCAA championship this year, but the Red Scare certainly has legitimate championship goals in the TBT to possibly make up for that. Dyshawn Pierre already has TBT experience and can do more than a bit of everything for this Dayton alumni team. He is still the program’s 7th all-time leader in offensive rebounds (12th all-time in total rebounds), 10th in 3-point accuracy and 23rd in total points scored. Pierre is one of three guys on the 2014 NCAA Elite 8 team joined by indispensable Kyle Davis and TBT star Devin Oliver.
Justin Tillman (VCU alum) and Ryan McMahon (Louisville alum) are two of the better TBT “grad transfers” in the field as they were both key leaders for their respective college programs. Ryan Mikesell and Trey Landers will get a chance to showcase their talents in the TBT as they were both starters and huge components of Dayton’s top-tier success last college basketball season. Darrell Davis is someone who can certainly add to that scoring punch as he averaged 15.4 points in 2018 (4.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists as well).
The only concern right now is that there is only one power forward with no centers on the roster, but a small ball approach has shown it can be very effective in the TBT, especially with a Dayton team that is lengthy and can space the floor well. Jon Gruden’s son Joey Gruden deserves credit for organizing this team and reuniting the Dayton pride for a fanbase who deserves to see their team in TBT. Dayton had to face the 2019 TBT champs last year, so they’ve already been tested with valuable TBT experience.