NCAA Basketball: 12 teams with most pressure to win in 2023-24 season

8. Dayton Flyers

In the last four years of the Archie Miller era, Dayton made the NCAA Tournament from 2014-17. So far, in the Anthony Grant era (6 years), the team has only been a postseason squad once, the 29-2 team in the unfortunate season where covid canceled the Big Dance. The team has won 20+ games in the past two seasons yet hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament in the Atlantic 10.

Besides questions about Grant’s job security, Dayton needs to make the Big Dance for multiple reasons. The biggest is that they have DaRon Holmes, the rare top-50 prospect who committed to an A-10 program that in somewhat surprising news, stayed with the program and not either went pro or transferred up.

Having him back as the clear-cut favorite for Conference Player of the Year makes it very likely that the Flyers will be the team to beat. And the A-10 has new contenders this upcoming season in St. Joe’s, Duquesne, and Loyola-Chicago. And with the entire backcourt coming back… and hopefully healthy as well… there’s no reason why they can’t win the league.

Duquesne’s lack of history gives them pressure. But Dayton’s recent history of success and expectations gives them even more pressure. In what’s likely Holmes’ last season, the team needs to capitalize on a vulnerable conference and get back to the Big Dance.