ARIZONA WILDCATS BASKETBALL

Dayton survives Nevada upset bid, will face Arizona in 2nd round of NCAA Tournament

Mar 21, 2024, 3:59 PM | Updated: 4:04 pm

Dayton Flyers celebrate...

The Dayton Flyers celebrate defeating the Nevada Wolf Pack 63-60 in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Delta Center on March 21, 2024 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

The No. 7 seed Dayton Flyers narrowly escaped a first-round NCAA Tournament upset on Thursday, taking down the No. 10 seed Nevada Wolf Pack, 63-60.

Dayton will now take on the No. 2 seeded Arizona Wildcats in the second round of the tournament on Saturday.

The Flyers got the win, but it didn’t look that way for most of the matchup.

Nevada, not Dayton, was the leader at halftime behind a 35-24 advantage that included a massive 16-0 run to end the first half.

The Wolf Pack’s momentum continued on into most of the second half, seeing its lead grow to as much as 17 points.

But a 20-2 run by the Flyers would hand Dayton back a 59-58 lead with 2:01 left to play.

Nevada would respond with a make by Kenan Blackshear to regain the lead with 58 second to play, but it would be Nick Santos who closed things out for Dayton with a layup and two made free throws to take the win.

Leading the way for the Flyers was forward DaRon Holmes, who recorded 18 points, nine rebounds, one assist and three steals. Guard Koby Brea added anohter 15 points to go along with two rebounds, three assists and one steal.

Dayton now takes on a Wildcats team that just throttled Long Beach State, 85-65, to advance to Round 2. Guard Kylan Boswell led the way for Arizona behind 20 points and eight assists. Fellow guard Caleb Love added 18 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

Arizona Wildcats basketball

Arizona jumped up seven spots in Monday's AP poll...

Associated Press

College basketball rankings: Arizona jumps up 7 spots in AP poll

The Arizona Wildcats again saw positive movement up The Associated Press' top 25 men's basketball rankings on Monday.

6 hours ago

Arizona...

Damon Allred

No. 20 Arizona dominant inside, gets revenge against No. 13 Texas Tech for lone conference loss

No. 20 Arizona men's basketball hit the paint hard in a show of physicality to beat No. 13 Texas Tech, avenging its lone loss in Big 12 play.

2 days ago

BYU guard Egor Demin (3) drives between Arizona guard KJ Lewis (5) and forward Trey Townsend during...

Lance Hartzler

No. 20 Arizona clamps down late to seal win over BYU

The No. 20 Arizona and BYU men's basketball teams were in a fun one in Provo, Utah, Tuesday night.

6 days ago

The Arizona Wildcats and UConn Huskies are finalizing a home-and-home series...

Tyler Drake

Arizona and UConn finalizing home-and-home men’s basketball series

The Arizona Wildcats are reportedly finalizing an agreement with the UConn Huskies for a home-and-home series beginning in the 2025-26 season.

7 days ago

Arizona's Caleb Love after headbutt...

Lance Hartzler

Arizona’s Caleb Love named Big 12 Player of the Week

No. 12 Arizona Wildcats guard Caleb Love was named the Big 12 player of the week following his performances in wins over Iowa State and ASU.

7 days ago

Arizona still on outside of AP Top 25...

Associated Press

College basketball rankings: Arizona returns to AP top 25 after beating ASU

The Arizona Wildcats (15-6) on Monday returned to The Associated Press' top 25 men's basketball rankings for the first time since November.

7 days ago

Dayton survives Nevada upset bid, will face Arizona in 2nd round of NCAA Tournament