The Times Recorder from Zanesville, Ohio • Page B3

Wednesday, March 18, 2015 Times Recorder SPORTS 3B BRACKET BRIEFING USATODAY SPORTS. HOME COURT IS WHERE THE HOOPS ARE Broncos, Flyers downplay venue 1 1 (1 Nicole Auerbach NicoleAuerbach USA TODAY Sports i The winner of Dayton-Boise State will play East Region No. 6 seed Providence on Friday in Columbus, Ohio. Rice and his players don't seem too concerned about a hostile road environment. The Broncos, led by Mountain West player of the year Derrick Marks, have a handful of eye-opening road wins this season at San Diego State, at the Pit in New Mexico and at UNLV.

Today's game at Dayton will be no different and just as difficult: The Flyers are 16-0 at home this season. "The fact that we're playing in Dayton I just don't want people to think that this is a Cakewalk," Dayton coach Archie Miller says. "I don't want people to think that this is going to be very easy. I have a lot of respect for Boise State. They're a terrific team.

Regardless of where we would be playing right now, this is a very difficult matchup, and that's sort of what you focus on." Miller has always praised the Dayton fan base, and he says generally speaking during the regular season his team has as good a home-court advantage as anyone else in college basketball. But to chalk this up as a home game or an easy win for Dayton, Miller argues, is underselling Boise State. "If we were playing a regular-season game at home vs. Boise State, you'd be sick to your stomach, because you know what you're in for," he says. The respect goes both ways.

Rice praises Dayton's roster, which despite being depleted and short on size came up just short of Atlantic 10 regular-season and tournament championships. In fact, Dayton's spot in the BRIAN LOSNESS, USA TODAY SPORTS Boise State coach Leon Rice says "basketball players want to play," no matter the arena. dayton, ohio Boise State coach Leon Rice saw his team's name pop up on the screen on Selection Sunday. The Broncos would play in Dayton in the First Four, for the second time in three years. That part made some sense.

Then his eyes shifted over to the opponent: Dayton. "First, I thought it was a typo," Rice says, smiling. "No. It was just nothing beyond that. It was like, great, we're in the NCAA tournament, we get to go play Dayton, and it just happens to be in Dayton.

So I don't think we made an issue out of it. I think the media has made a big issue out of it, but college basketball players want to play basketball, and we get an opportunity to play basketball here." Rice says he had nothing but fond memories of his last trip here and the hospitality the people of Dayton showed his team. He doesn't expect quite the same embrace this time in a de facto Dayton home game environment. "We brought in a food taster just in case on all our foods just to make sure everything is OK," Rice jokes. "But it's been a great place.

And it's exciting to get back, and they do such a good job with the NCAA tournament atmosphere here." It's the first time a team has played at its on-campus home arena in the NCAA tournament since 1987, when Arizona and Syracuse took the court for games at the McKale Center and Carrier Dome, respectively. AHiJiSMiMfiBr cT9Q6 know. I would have been a little bit more nervous." As for the players on both sides, no one seems outraged or disappointed. Boise State's players say they're excited to be in the NCAA tournament and the location of the game didn't change the way they're preparing or that they have to win it to advance further. Dayton players say they're happy for their fans and lone senior Jordan Sibert, their leading scorer, who essentially gets a second Senior Day.

"It's just a blessing to have an opportunity to play in the tournament," Sibert says. "Some guys didn't hear their name called at all. And we approached it as just being happy and being able to take this as a humbling experience. "And it's great to have our fans to be able to come, five minutes away and just drive over to the arena." T7072PM1 nii C7068 F(T1 First Four caused a bit of an uproar for that reason, too. Many thought the Flyers should have been a higher seed andor directly in the main draw based on their resume and Ratings Percentage Index.

"First Four, last four, it doesn't matter to me," Miller says. "Being in this tournament at this time of year is what every single person who does this for a living wants to do. And we're here. And on Selection Sunday, I'm glad I didn't cs37ammi' 43701 Sales: --i ALs itr.Fi CT82iiwy T5824 BESS IBM TOffll ISMEMt 1MBM -p- T5296 I HfK C5091 lUMLt T5744 IfiHHiMCffliBIMMr T7086 liBHTl C7089 timimuM T7371A1 mm. AWD CERTIFIED j'iSjIfe CERTIFIED CERTIFIED CERTIFIED S' CERTIFIED SHftrfalX CERTIFIED i- CERTIFIED PHE-QWNED PF1E-0WMED I 1 CERTIFIED iK CERTIFIED jfciV CERTIFIED CERTIFIED CERTIFIED PHE-OWNED 1 PHE-0WNEO FHE'lArUED PHE-OWNED lm PHE-0WPJEO I CHEVROLET QUICK GMC JEFF DRENNEN CHEVROLET BUICK GMC CADILLAC OF ZANESVILLE 3625 Maple Avenue, Zanesville, OH (740) 452-361 1 Service: (740) 452-361 1.