By Abe Bassett
Why can’t the University of Dayton play the Wright State Raiders in basketball?
The Gem City Jam games between UD and WSU ranged from 1988 to 1997 and ended with UD leading 5–3, with all five wins coming on the UD home court. See the chart below for the dates and scores of the Gem City Jam.
Gem City Jam
|
Date |
Location |
Result |
|
March 5, 1988 |
Dayton |
L 71–89 |
|
January 6, 1990 |
Dayton |
W 101–99 |
|
December 11, 1993 |
Dayton |
L 56–83 |
|
January 8, 1994 |
Wright State |
W 77–65 |
|
December 12, 1994 |
Wright State |
W 74–53 |
|
December 9, 1995 |
Dayton |
L 80–98 |
|
January 9, 1997 |
Wright State |
L 63–72 |
|
December 13, 1997 |
Dayton |
L 63–94 |
When the series was ended in 1999, the then athletic director explained that UD’s conference want schools to engage more highly rated teams, and Wright State didn’t qualify, even though the Raiders were Division II national champions in 1983 and appeared in the Division II national tournament eight times.
As seen in the chart below, Dayton’s 2018 non-conference schedule has UD playing six schools ranked below Wright State. Even UD’s 2017-18 team was ranked below Wright State.
Pomeroy ratings for University of Dayton pre-season non-conference games in 2018*
- Virginia 2
- Butler 20
- Auburn 23
- Middle Tennessee State 45
- Mississippi State 54
- Tulsa 110
- Wright State 133
- Purdue Ft. Wayne 165
- Dayton 172
- Western Michigan 188
- North Florida 282
- Detroit Mercy 319
- Presbyterian 334
- Coppin State 347
*Ranked at the end of the 2017-18 season
UD has had good basketball success over the years but finds it difficult to entice highly rated opponents to play on its home court. Regardless of the quality of the opposing teams, Dayton does draw maximum capacity crowds. If the UD Flyers played the Raiders, the arena would still be jam packed.
At one time, the Flyers offered to play the Raiders on UD’s home court, but not with a return date at Wright State.
Why won’t UD play WSU? Add your own explanations, but here are some possibilities.
- Playing WSU would expose the Raiders to more audience and would subtract attendance for UD home games.
- Losing to Wright State would be an embarrassment.
- Playing WSU would elevate its program to the detriment of UD even if UD was the frequent winner.
