Aug. 5—A recent court ruling in Ohio has enabled Gonzaga to fill one of its vacant backcourt spots three months before the start of the college basketball season.
Javon Bennett, a 5-foot-10 point guard who earned All-Atlantic 10 first-team honors last season at Dayton, committed to the Zags on Wednesday after securing a fifth season of eligibility three weeks ago through a preliminary injunction in Ohio.
Bennett's agent, Harrison Gaines, confirmed the player's commitment to Joe Tipton of On3.com.
A veteran guard who appeared in 136 college basketball games over four seasons at Merrimack and Dayton, Bennett was one of the 15 student-athletes who filed a lawsuit against the NCAA in Ohio, claiming they should be eligible to return for a fifth season through the governing body's new age-based eligibility model, also known as the "5-for-5" rule.
With only eight players signed to financial aid agreements as of Wednesday, Gonzaga is in a position to add multiple players in the coming weeks, and desperately needed to address its depth in the backcourt after combo guard Jack Kayil kept his name in the NBA draft and starting point guard Mario Saint-Supery signed a professional contract with Valencia in early July.

#dayton #three

One of the most experienced guards in college basketball has committed to Gonzaga. Former Dayton standout Javon Bennett will seek to play out his final season of eligibility with the Bulldogs, according to a report from On3's Joe Tipton.
Bennett was one of 15 players who filed a lawsuit against the NCAA in the wake of the NCAA approving an age-based eligibility model. The suit resulted in an injunction for the 15 athletes in Ohio, granting them eligibility for the 2026-27 college basketball season.
[ $19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage ]
The injunction also granted the athletes the ability to transfer now outside of the NCAA's designated transfer portal window. The transfer portal window for men's basketball opened on Tuesday, April 7 and closed on Tuesday, April 21.
Javon Bennett should be a quality addition for Gonzaga. He spent his last three years suiting up for Dayton after initially starting his college career at Merrimack.

#eligibility #transfer #dayton

The Air Force says its next-generation B-21 Raider stealth bomber program is ahead of schedule, with the first operational aircraft expected to arrive at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota in 2027.
The service's sixth-generation F-47 fighter is also progressing faster than expected, according to Gen. Dale White, director of Critical Major Weapon Systems, who discussed both programs during the Air Force's Life Cycle Industry Days conference in Dayton, Ohio.
White said the B-21 acquisition program has accelerated by roughly 25% since a one-time $4.5 billion funding boost was included in the 2025 reconciliation bill.
The comments provide one of the clearest public updates yet on the status of the Air Force's two flagship next-generation aircraft programs.
America's New Stealth B-21 Raider Takes Next Step With Second Bomber's First Flight

#generation

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — NASCAR's exhibition Clash is returning to Daytona International Speedway for the first time in six years.
The sanctioning body announced the move Tuesday, saying the race will be held Feb. 13, 2027. It will be sponsored by Wheatley American Vodka.
The race doesn't count for points and is the lead-up to the season-opening Daytona 500, which is set for Feb. 21.
Daytona hosted the Clash from 1979 to 2021. It was moved to a temporary track inside Los Angeles Memorial Stadium for three years in an effort to shake up the annual event and then relocated to tiny Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the last two years in a return to NASCAR's grassroots racing.
The event was postponed twice this year because of historic winter weather in North Carolina. Snow-covered roads were too dangerous for teams and fans to get to the historic short track.

#carolina #track

Jimmie Johnson is having a familiar number on his car for the 2027 Daytona 500. Before the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Rick Hendrick announced that Johnson will drive the No. 48 for Legacy Motor Club in the 2027 Daytona 500. Now, a former sponsor is teasing a potential return.
On Monday, the official Lowe's X account posted a tweet saying, "[Ally Racing], [Carvana Racing] need an ally for a last ride? Check your DMs." Based on the responses from Ally Racing and Carvana Racing, it certainly appears that Johnson's final NASCAR Cup Series race could be even more special.
Nothing is official, but if Johnson could drive the No. 48 car with sponsorship from Lowe's, it would be an amazing tribute. Even a paint scheme of the seven-time Cup Series champion's iconic No. 48 Lowe's car would be sensational. Either way, it appears that Lowe's is planning something special for Johnson.
Jimmie Johnson to drive No. 48 car in 2027 Daytona 500
This article originally appeared on Motorsports Wire: Lowe's teases return with Jimmie Johnson at 2027 Daytona 500

#ally #carvana

Aug. 3—Dayton Flyers fans mostly know Jaron McKie from seeing him on the bench or standing at center court during his first season while the rest of the team warmed up before games.
Not every freshman contributes right away. Jaiun Simon, for example, sat out his freshman season because there wasn't room for him in the rotation. Now he's expected to play a significant role for the second straight season. Obi Toppin missed his freshman season because of academic reasons and won all the national player of the year awards in his third season at Dayton.
The list of players who missed their entire freshman season because of an injury without even appearing in an exhibition game is much shorter.
McKie, a 6-foot-3 guard from St. Joseph's Prep in Philadelphia, is the only one on that list in the last 13 years. Marvel Allen played in two exhibition games before the 2023-24 season and then suffered an injury that would lead to the decision to redshirt him.
McKie underwent left shoulder surgery in October and didn't practice or play in the 2025-26 season.

#freshman #injury

DAYTONA BEACH — Naismith Hall of Famer, Daytona Beach native and Mainland High School graduate Vince Carter played professional basketball for a long time. Like, a really long time.
Carter's 22-year career from 1998-2020 is the second-longest in the history of the NBA, having just been exceeded by LeBron James during the 2025-26 season.
The eight-time All-Star and dunk extraordinaire called it quits after the COVID-shortened 2020 season and transferred to another career he'd been building for years — sports broadcasting.
In 2025, Carter became a studio ****** yst for NBC alongside fellow All-Stars Carmelo Anthony and Tracy McGrady.
Broadcasting has been a natural second act for retired professional athletes because they tend to know a lot about the sport they dedicated their lives to. It was an avenue Carter had already been eyeing for his post-NBA life, only for it to get postponed with each season he returned.

#time #daytona #long

For every NASCAR Cup Series driver, winning a championship is the ultimate goal. But when it comes to individual races, four events stand above the rest.
Known collectively as NASCAR's Crown Jewel races, these iconic events carry a level of prestige that few victories can match. They combine decades of history, unique traditions, massive crowds, and some of the toughest challenges on the schedule. A win in any one of them can define a driver's career. Winning all four places them among NASCAR's all-time greats.
While NASCAR has never formally codified the term in its rulebook, today's Crown Jewel races are widely recognized as the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, Southern 500, and Brickyard 400.
Here's everything fans need to know about the sport's biggest events.
Much like golf's four majors or tennis' Grand Slam tournaments, NASCAR's Crown Jewel races are considered the premier events on the Cup Series calendar.

#crown #winning #known #daytona

The Clash is expected to have a new home in 2027. According to The Athletic's Jordan Bianchi, the Clash is expected to return to Daytona International Speedway after a six-year hiatus. After a two-year run at Bowman Gray Stadium, NASCAR will go back to Daytona for its opening exhibition event.
According to Bianchi, the Clash at Daytona is expected to be held on Saturday, February 13, 2027, which is one day before the Super Bowl and a week before the Daytona 500. The NASCAR insider also says a new sponsor is expected to partner with the Clash next season.
NASCAR should run the Clash at Daytona, as there is no better fit for the opening weekend of the season. While Bowman Gray and Los Angeles put on good shows, Daytona is where the Clash belongs. The 2027 NASCAR season isn't here yet, but excitement is already in the air about the possibility.
Front Row Motorsports addresses Layne Riggs' NASCAR Cup future in 2026
This article originally appeared on Motorsports Wire: NASCAR expected to bring Clash back to Daytona oval in 2027

#clash #nascar #bianchi

Corey Heim is a special driver, and I think we were already aware of that even before his recent Cup victories. He's won 26 Truck races in less than 100 starts, and toppled various records there en route to his 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series **** le.
But there's always an adjustment period when a rising star moves up to Cup, right? Well, maybe not for Heim. 23XI Racing being a top-level team certainly helps, but Heim is actively beating fellow Toyota drivers like Reddick, Hamlin and Bell in head-to-head battles.
He won at the San Diego Street Course by passing Reddick late in the race, and he reclaimed the lead from Hamlin on the final restart of the Brickyard 400, before withstanding the pressure of Bell in the closing laps to win that race as well.
In doing so, Heim is accomplishing feats NASCAR hasn't seen in literally decades.
Corey Heim is the first driver to win two races in just his first 15 career starts as a NASCAR Cup driver since A.J. Foyt did it in 1965 -- 61 years ago. Foyt managed to win the summer Daytona race in both 1964 and 1965 while competing part-time. The legendary driver also won those races with two different race teams, which even Heim won't can't match.

#heim #truck #hamlin

Jamichael Stillwell is a proven performer in the Big 12 Conference, and the former Central Florida forward committed to the Texas Tech men's basketball team on Friday, July 24.
It remains to be seen whether the 6-foot-8, 245-pound forward will ever play for the Red Raiders. He'll need a court injunction to do so. Stillwell is among 16 men's basketball players suing the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility in a complaint filed July 9 in Cobb County, Georgia, according to the Daytona News-Journal.
Stillwell has played four seasons of college basketball in four years. That lumps him in among the many players who are considered out of eligibility under the NCAA's newly approved age-based eligibility model, commonly known as the 5-for-5 rule. The NCAA has said it is not granting a fifth year under the new model to athletes who completed their fourth year of competition during the 2025-26 school year.
More: Texas Tech added about 80 scholarships in 2026-27. Here is sport-by-sport allocation
More: Texas Tech basketball to face Duke again in New York

#stillwell

ZenaTech, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZENA), an AI drone company, announced Thursday that it completed its 26th Drone as a Service acquisition, buying Dayton, Ohio-based BA Land Professionals LLC.
The transaction gives ZenaTech its first Ohio location and expands its U.S. network to 12 states. BA Land Professionals is licensed in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and North Carolina.
The surveying firm serves construction, energy, industrial and government customers. Its services include land surveying, construction layout, and topographic and boundary surveys.
It also provides ALTA/NSPS surveys, drone and LiDAR mapping, and GPS control services.
Read Also:ZenaTech's IQ Quad Moves Closer To US Government Drone Procurement Path

#drone

Alex Bowman isn't done driving just yet, but he'll be calling it quits on his NASCAR career soon.
Hendrick Motorsports announced Thursday, July 23, that Bowman has signed a one-year extension to continue driving the No. 48 Chevrolet but will retire from full-time racing after the 2027 season.
The 33-year-old Bowman has been a full-time driver in the top-level Cup Series since 2014, but has just one victory in the last four seasons and missed four races earlier this year because of vertigo. He also missed three races in 2023 because of a fractured vertebra and five races in 2022 after suffering a concussion.
"Alex has meant so much to our organization for a long time," said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. "He's overcome adversity, won big races and represented our team and partners with professionalism, personality and class. Alex is a tremendous talent in the race car and an even better person outside of it. We're proud he'll have the opportunity to finish his full-time career with us on his terms. He's family."
A native of Tucson, Arizona, Bowman has eight victories across 371 Cup Series races and holds the record for most consecutive starts on the front row of the Daytona 500 with six. He won the pole at the Super Bowl of stockcar racing three times in his career.

#races #full

DAYTONA BEACH — Jackie Robinson Ballpark was packed with thousands of fans on July 22. It wasn’t for the Daytona Tortugas or Bethune-Cookman Wildcats, but for a charity softball game between Volusia County’s Sheriff’s Office and Fire Rescue.
The real winner was the Volusia County community. It raised more than $70,000 after a plethora of contributions from locals. The money will go to the V Foundation for Cancer Research and Volusia Sheriff's Youth Foundation.
“To be honest with you, no,” said Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood on if the donation total was expected. “... I’ve been doing a lot of these things in my career, and there’s no way the first time out of the box you’re going to raise that kind of money. But you know what? We did.”
The on-field winners of the first Sheriff’s Office vs. Fire Rescue charity softball game were the firefighters — by a landslide.
Volusia County Fire scored five first-inning runs to set the tone for its eventual 26-6 rout in a game that featured four outfielders, 12-spot batting orders, Spruce Creek’s softball team and a firefighter dressed as a thief, which the Sheriff’s Office put out and sentenced to his dugout.

#volusia #sheriff #game

For almost five hours, the clock — metaphorically — threatened to strike midnight on the Dayton Dragons many times.
They trailed 6-0, 7-3 and 13-10.
But, at 11:59 p.m., the Dragons escaped midnight and defeat by putting the ball in play. Jacob Friend lofted a fly ball to deep left field, sending Julio Carreras home for the tie-breaking run and a 14-13 victory over Cedar Rapids with few left to witness it at Day Air Ballpark.
“It’s always fun to be the guy,” said Friend who was mobbed by teammates behind first base. “The goal there is just to pass it to the next guy. So that’s what we were trying to do. I just got in the air enough.”
Ninety-nine percent of the fans who were in the stadium for the first pitch cleared out after a one hour and 29-minute rain delay in the middle of the seventh inning. To be fair to those who left, the Dragons trailed 12-10. They had seen their money’s worth for seven innings, but they sure missed a lot in the final three and a half innings.

#first

Eric F. Spina is president of the University of Dayton.
Roger J. Thompson is president of Saint Mary’s College of California.
They’re trying to kill Cinderella.
That fairy-tale underdog is the lifeblood of college basketball.
Every March, millions watch because a 16-seed can topple a giant, a mid-major can make an improbable run and a player or coach few had heard of can suddenly become a household name.

#eric #spina #saint #mary

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The LPGA on Tuesday unveiled the inaugural Nanea Cup, an event being held in Hawaii next March that includes a mix of pro golfers and collegians as a way to showcase the present and future of women's golf.
The event, which will be held March 11-14 at the Nanea Golf Club in Kailua-Kona, on the Big Island, features a $4 million purse. The field will include 95 LPGA Tour players along with 25 of the nation's top college golfers representing five universities: Stanford, Texas, Arkansas, Texas A&M and UCLA.
"As we continue to focus on routing, courses and purses, this event checks every box," LPGA Commissioner Craig Kessler said in a statement. "Nanea is a spectacular venue, our athletes will compete for a strong purse, and fans will get their first look at one of the most celebrated golf courses in the world."
All competitors will play Thursday and Friday before the field is cut to the low 50 players and ties. College players who don't make the cut will still play Saturday to help determine team champions.
The Golf Channel will broadcast stories on college athletes and coaches to give a glimpse of the next generation of players.

#nanea #Event #texas #held

What would happen if you gathered some of the world's best racing drivers from a variety of disciplines, put them in identically prepared cars, and let them do battle on a variety of iconic North American racetracks? Well, you don't need to imagine what it'd be like because it happened.
It was called the International Race of Champions, better known as IROC. Enjoyed by both fans and competitors alike, the IROC series ran from the early 1970s until the mid-2000s, gathering some of motorsport's greatest drivers, including names such as Andretti, Earnhardt, Foyt, and Unser. Beyond its on-track excitement, the IROC series also helped spawn one of the most iconic American sports cars of the 1980s.
The original IROC series ran through 2006, when a lack of sponsorship interest led to its demise. But today it continues to be a fondly remembered part of American motorsport history, now with reunions — and perhaps an even larger series revival in the works. Let's take a quick Look at the legacy of this beloved racing series.
Read more: 12 Of The Most Powerful Hemi Engines Ever Built
IROC was founded by Roger Penske, Les Richter, and Mike Phelps in 1973 as a way to create an all-star championship for the motorsports world. It would draw top drivers from NASCAR, Indy, and Formula 1 and have them compete against each other in identical cars. Over the years, IROC would run on both oval tracks and road courses, including Daytona, Talladega, and Watkins Glen.

Here is the week-by-week 2026 schedule for central Ohio high school football. Schedules were obtained from area schools and are subject to change.
Fairbanks at North Robinson Colonel Crawford; Harvest Prep at Versailles
Africentric at Groveport; Amanda-Clearcreek at West Jefferson; Bellville Clear Fork at Granville; Berlin Center Western Reserve at Whetstone; Berne Union at Bidwell River Valley; Bloom-Carroll at Caledonia River Valley; Bucyrus Wynford at Cardington; Canal Winchester at Grove City; Centennial at Grandview Heights; Centerburg at Utica; Chillicothe Southeastern at Fairfield Christian; Circleville at Chillicothe; Dalton at Danville; Dayton Dunbar at Briggs; Delaware at Buckeye Valley; Dublin Coffman at Hartley; Dublin Scioto at Thomas Worthington; East Knox at Northridge; Eastmoor Academy vs. Ready at Fortress Obetz; Fisher Catholic at Belpre; Franklin Heights at West; Fredericktown at Highland; Hamilton Township at Whitehall; Heath at Duncan Falls Philo; Hilliard Bradley at Big Walnut; Hilliard Darby at Lancaster; Huntington at Newark Catholic; KIPP Columbus at Beechcroft; Liberty Union at Woodsfield Monroe Central; Licking Heights at Newark; Linden-McKinley at Bexley; Logan Elm at Chillicothe Zane Trace; Madison-Plains at Westfall; Mansfield Senior at Hilliard Davidson; Marion Pleasant at North Union; Martins Ferry at Mount Gilead; Marysville at Westerville North; Millersport at Portsmouth Sciotoville East; Mount Vernon at Marion Harding; New Albany at London; New Lexington at Fairfield Union; Northland at Columbus Academy; Olentangy Liberty vs. Lakewood St. Edward at Lakewood; Olentangy Orange at Olentangy Berlin; Pickerington Central at Gahanna; Pickerington North at Troy; Reynoldsburg at Toledo Whitmer; St. Charles at Central Crossing; South at Mifflin; Thornville Sheridan at Licking Valley; Upper Arlington at Olentangy; Vermilion at Johnstown; Walnut Ridge at East; Watkins Memorial at Worthington Kilbourne; Watterson at Whitehouse Anthony Wayne; West Liberty-Salem at Jonathan Alder; Westerville Central at Marion-Franklin; Westerville South at Dublin Jerome; Westland at Teays Valley; Worthington Christian at Grove City Christian; Youngstown Ursuline at DeSales; Zanesville West Muskingum at Lakewood
Independence vs. Dayton Meadowdale at Welcome Stadium; Columbus Crusaders at Byron Center (Michigan) Grand Valley Christian
Beechcroft at Independence; Berne Union at Chillicothe Huntington; Bexley at Worthington Christian; Big Walnut at Dublin Coffman; Briggs at Dublin Scioto; Buckeye Valley at Africentric; Bucyrus Wynford at East Knox; Canal Winchester at New Albany; Cardington at Sycamore Mohawk; Centerburg at Johnstown; Cincinnati Aiken at Northland; Circleville at Washington Court House; Cleveland Glenville at Olentangy Liberty; Cleveland St. Ignatius at Pickerington North; Danville at Utica; DeSales at Walnut Ridge; East at Whitehall; Eastmoor Academy at Cincinnati College Preparatory Academy; Franklin Heights at Linden-McKi

Chase Elliott is adding another race to his schedule this season, as the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion has been announced as the driver of the No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado for Spire Motorsports in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at North Wilkesboro. The entry will carry HendrickCars.com sponsorship as Elliott returns to Truck Series competition for the first time since his substitute appearance at Daytona in February of 2023.

Elliott has made 18 appearances across seven seasons in the Truck Series, and built quite the resume. Chase Elliott would score 3 wins, 11 top-five finishes, and 12 top-ten finishes. Along with those amazing finishes he also has led 210 laps and got 2 pole positions.

Chase will be driving for a team that isn't shy from Victory Lane in the Truck Series, while also running the CARS Tour for JR Motorsports on Friday night, in lieu of Kyle Busch. Spire Motorsports has totaled 213 starts, 7 pole positions, and 12 victories in just over four years since the beginning of their team in 2022.

Spire Motorsports has had a lot of great drivers wheel their cars in the truck series this season, and Chase Elliott will be another named added to list.

Drivers who have raced for Spire in the Craftsman Truck Series this season:

Kyle Busch
Carson Hocevar
Connor Zilisch
Michael McDowell
Jesse Love
Sammy Smith
Parker Kligerman
Justin Marks
James Hinchcliffe
Connor Mosack

Chase Elliott will take control of the No. 7 truck on Saturday, July 18, 2026 at North Wilkesboro in hopes of capturing another win in the Truck Series, and he will race for a team that puts him in great position to do so.
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The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season has produced repeat winners, first-time winners, road course specialists, superspeedway surprises, and dramatic late-race battles. Tyler Reddick has emerged as the season's winningest driver through the opening 20 races, while drivers like Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, Ty Gibbs, Shane van Gisbergen, Carson Hocevar, and Daniel Suárez have all added victories of their own.
Here's a complete look at every Cup Series winner so far in 2026.
Winner: Tyler Reddick (Toyota)
Reddick opened the season with the biggest victory in NASCAR, winning the Daytona 500 after starting 26th. He led just one lap, but it was the only one that mattered as he edged Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at the finish.
Started: 26th

Connor Fennell, Vanderbilt baseball's Friday night starter in 2026, was drafted in the 20th round of the 2026 MLB Draft by the Chicago White Sox.
It was not immediately clear if Fennell would sign or return to the Commodores for his senior season.
Fennell started 15 games in 2026, putting up a 4.96 ERA. He struck out 102 batters and walked just 20 in 85⅓ innings but he was ***** e to getting hit hard at times, allowing 17 home runs and 15 doubles.
Despite that, Fennell was Vanderbilt's only consistent starting pitcher for most of the year. Though he gave up at least one run in every appearance, he recorded six quality starts, five of which came in SEC play, and gave up three or fewer runs in 10 of his 15 starts, with his ERA heavily impacted by allowing seven runs against LSU and nine against Texas.
The 6-1, 183-pounder originally transferred to Vanderbilt from Dayton in 2024. In 2025, he excelled in a swing role, with a 2.53 ERA in 17 appearances.

What time is the NASCAR race today? TV schedule, channel, live stream for Atlanta originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
After a festive Fourth of July weekend in Chicago, NASCAR will return to Atlanta for the second time this season on Sunday for the Quaker State 400.
Apart from major tracks like Daytona and Talladega, EchoPark Speedway has hosted many of the most exciting Cup Series races in recent years. With major track renovations in 2022, the former Atlanta Motor Speedway now has higher banking in the turns and a narrower racing surface, making it somewhat of a smaller "superspeedway".
Given its nature, races at EchoPark are frequently unpredictable and exciting. Fans can expect to see lots of passing and continuous action on each lap around the 1.54-mile oval. Heading into Sunday, the odds favor Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott.
Be sure to tune in for all the action.

HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) — EchoPark Speedway may be the perfect setting for Tyler Reddick to reclaim his momentum in the NASCAR Cup Series points race.
Reddick won five of the first nine stops on this year's Cup Series schedule, including at EchoPark Speedway on Feb. 22, one week after winning the Daytona 500, to take a dominant lead in the points race.
Reddick’s points lead has disappeared in recent weeks. Denny Hamlin, who co-owns 23XI Racing with Michael Jordan, enters Sunday night’s race leading Reddick by 44 points.
Overall, Reddick has two wins in three starts on drafting tracks this season in his 23XI Racing Toyota, giving him reason for optimism. Reddick said Saturday he is “extremely” confident he can enjoy more success in his return to the track formerly known as Atlanta Motor Speedway.
“In my opinion, we’re stronger when we come back here in the summer race,” Reddick said. “We’re still plenty good in the spring, but what we do well at EchoPark Speedway really shows up in the summer. ... Our strength typically is handling and I feel like the more that’s in play the better I do with these kind of races.”

The NCAA tournament is officially expanding to 76 teams, and Dayton could use some help when it comes to hosting opening round games. That's where Wichita comes in.
The NCAA announced that Wichita and Dayton will host opening-round tripleheaders on the Tuesday and Wednesday following Selection Sunday.
"We were pleased but not surprised by the number of cities from around the country that very much wanted March Madness to begin in their market," said Keith Gill, the commissioner of the Sun Belt Conference and the chair of the Division I Men's Basketball Committee. "Like Dayton, Wichita is a basketball-crazed community that we expect will embrace the reimagined start of the tournament. Having a city in Middle America will be advantageous for getting teams from various points around the country, many of which won't be known until Selection Sunday, to the Opening Round and subsequently first-round sites."
The games in Wichita and Dayton will feature the 12 lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers and the 12 lowest-seeded at-large schools.
Dayton has been the opening round host since 2001, with UD Arena hosting the most games in NCAA tournament history.

The NCAA has announced the second site for the Opening Round of the Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Wichita, Kansas, will join Dayton as the two host cities for the Opening Round of the 2027 and 2028 tournaments, according to an NCAA spokesperson.
This comes after the NCAA decided to expand the tournament field from 68 to 76 teams, as previously reported.
>>PREVIOUS COVERAGE: NCAA officially approves expansion of March Madness to 76 teams

Well, what do we have here? Based on multiple reports, the cows have come home, ******* has frozen over, and pigs have flown. That's because somewhere, somehow, the four most historic Ohio basketball programs are getting together to play an event on the same court. That's right. Ohio State, Cincinnati, Xavier, and Dayton are all set to play in the CareSource Invitational, an exhibition event to raise awareness and funds for mental health and suicide prevention.
So which of the other three teams will the Buckeyes play? They will be matched up with Cincinnati, while the other game will pit Dayton vs. Xavier. To add a little intrigue, the game will take place outdoors at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, home of the Cincinnati Open, on October 7, very early on in the preseason. If the weather becomes an issue, the event will be moved to UD Arena in Dayton. However, the preference is clearly to have this thing be an outdoor event to add to the atmosphere.
“I think this is great. This is great for the basketball community in Ohio. And it’s been a long time coming,” Ohio State head coach Jake Diebler said on Thursday. “I’ve been vocal about this since I first got the job and wanted something like this to happen. There are so many moving parts. There are so many moving parts to make something like this happen. It takes a lot of people. And I’m just excited. Everyone got together to make it happen.”
We've been calling for an annual event like this for a while here on Buckeyes Wire, and we'll have more on that later, but for now, the only way you can see the CareSource Invitational is to purchase tickets because it will not be televised. When information on how to get your hands on some tickets becomes available, we'll bring that information to you.
Contact/Follow us BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.

Jul. 8—Great Lakes starting pitcher Zach Root struck out 11 and did not allow a runner past first base over six scoreless innings as the Loons defeated the Dayton Dragons 4-2 on Tuesday night.
Neither team could score over the first half of the game as Dragons starting pitcher Ovis Portes worked out of trouble in each of the first four innings. The game was scoreless going to the bottom of the fifth when Portes issued a lead-off walk followed by a run-scoring double by Logan Wagner to give Great Lakes a 1-0 lead.
Portes was replaced by Beau Blanchard, who surrendered an RBI double to Emil Morales, the first man he faced, as the Loons jumped ahead 2-0. After a pair of walks, the Loons added another run on a sacrifice fly to make it a three-run inning. In the sixth, Blanchard surrendered a lead-off home run to Chuck Davalan as Great Lakes increased their lead to 4-0.
Going to the eighth inning, the Dragons had only two hits and had not advanced a runner to second base. Alfredo Alcantara ripped a lead-off double to left-center field to start that inning and with one out, Victor Acosta worked a walk. Peyton Stovall then lined a triple down the right field line as the baseball lodged beneath the Loons bullpen bench, bringing in both Alcantara and Acosta to cut the Loons lead to 4-2. But the next two batters, Ryan McCrystal and Julio Carreras, both tapped out in front of the plate and Stovall was stranded at third.
The Dragons came to bat in the ninth inning still down by two runs and got the tying run to the plate with one out when John Michael Faile drew a walk. Tyson Lewis struck out for the second out. Alcantara then lined a single to center to move Faile to second, but Marcus Smith struck out swinging to end the game.

Jul. 7—After splitting series with both the West Michigan Whitecaps and the Lansing Lugnuts as part of a 12-game home stand, the Midwest League First Half champion Dayton Dragons hit the road for a six-game series with the first-place Great Lakes Loons.
The Loons are 10-3 in the second half, while the Dragons are 7-7. Great Lakes is 7-3 in their last 10 games, while the Dragons are 4-6.
Here's everything you need to know heading into this week's series with the Loons:
Last week
The Dragons dropped the series opener to the Loons, but won three straight before falling in back-to-back games over the weekend to split the series.

The 12U Alto Lady Jackets softball team earned the ***** le of state runner-ups in the Diamond Youth Softball State Championship. The tournament was conducted July 2 and 3 in Lear Park in Longview.
The Lady Jackets won their first state tournament game against Blanco 15-1. The win was followed by losses to Atlanta, 6-1 and 12-0, earning Alto the state runner-up spot.
Members of the team are Kamora Elam, Abbie Griffin, TeAsia Griffin, Macee Low, Kyndall Lucas, Cambrie Reagans, Amaya Reescano, Marlee Reid, Remi Reid, Emma Rowley and Journi Skinner.
The team was led by coaches Charley Reid, Lauren Reid and Cord Lucas.
The 12Y Alto Lady Jackets became the undefeated South Region Champions after defeating four competitors: Splendora, 2-1; Dayton, 7-1; Shelby County, 6-2; and Hemphill, 7-4.