Big 12 Basketball: 3 more programs the conference could consider poaching

Dayton Flyers

Anthony Grant has transformed Dayton into a perennial top player among mid-majors every season. The Flyers are ready to soar to a weight class beyond the respectable Atlantic 10.

Interestingly, Dayton hasn't actually won the regular season in the conference all that much in the Grant era. The team's only regular season conference title during Grant's seen years at the helm came in 2019-20, when the Flyers went undefeated in conference play and were in line to be a top seed in the NCAA Tournament, only for Covid to dash the Big Dance.

It's impossible to say what the Flyers would've done in the conference tournament that year, but they haven't won one with Grant at the helm. In fact, he's only made it to one title game, back in 2023. DaRon Holmes was named Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament, but his Flyers were still trounced by double digits in the title game at the hands of VCU.

None of that necessarily makes it feel like Dayton is a good candidate for a jump, but the program is consistently good and competitive. They bring elite talent into the fold (such as Holmes and Obi Toppin) and send them back out into the world (Kentucky transfer Koby Brea qualifies here).

Outside of his first season in Dayton, Grant has led the Flyers to a winning record each season in charge. Routinely, that has meant at least 20 victories and a postseason appearance. An NCAA Tournament bid and win came last year.

The intangibles make sense, too. Dayton annually boasts strong attendance numbers and build a great atmosphere for fans and opponents alike. They're in the heartland of the country and could have a natural rivalry with another relative newcomer to the Big 12, Cincinnati.

Dayton feels like a natural fit for a growing Big 12.