MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Scoochie Smith's cell phone was blowing up with text messages and voice mails. Minutes earlier his 11th-seeded Dayton Flyers had advanced to the Elite Eight with an 82-72 win over 10th-seeded Stanford in a South Regional semifinal at FedEx Forum.
Most of the texts were from his friends and family from his native New York City.
"They all feel like they're in the Sweet 16, too," Smith, a freshman guard from The Bronx, said. "It's great to have support from your hometown."
Smith scored five points and was part of a Dayton bench that outscored the Cardinal bench 34-2 in a game the Flyers controlled from the outset.
"We had 11 guys score in the game and from top to bottom, they just kept coming and coming and coming," Dayton coach Archie Miller said. "The way they shared the ball, the way they moved the ball gave us a chance."
Forget giving Dayton the tag Cinderella. The lady in the glass slipper was never as tough or fearless as the Flyers who attacked the Cardinal zone by pounding the ball inside. Ball movement was the key as Dayton totaled 19 assists.
"We came out with the right mind-set, playing hard, playing tough, playing for one another," Smith said. "We were just focused and locked in and ready to play."
There's one text Smith won't get. That's from his grandfather, George Blount, who passed away in January. It was his grandfather who gave him the nickname Scoochie and always asked about how his basketball was coming. He'd be proud of his grandson now.
"I think he's real happy for me," said Smith, whose given name is Dayshon. "I know he's definitely watching me from above. I wish he was here. But I know he's in a better place now."
You get the feeling something special is brewing with the Flyers (26-10). You not only see it in Smith's young eyes, but you can see it in the eyes of John Miller, the father of Dayton coach Archie Miller, who was at the FedEx Forum to watch is son coach his team to the Elite Eight.
Twenty minutes later, he would be searching for a television set to watch his other son, Sean, coach the Arizona Wildcats against San Diego State in the West Regional in Anaheim.
John Miller won four state championships and 657 games as a high school coach in Pennsylvania, but watching his sons on this night was "nerve wracking," he said. It's a good kind of stress.
"I don't like to get around a lot of people," the elder Miller said. "I'd rather watch and sit and study the game. It's neat because [Dayton has] the same system that Sean has. I've watching them both play and I watch them executing the same stuff. The Flyers took it to them."
Stanford had 6-foot-10 Dwight Powell, 6-10 John Gage, and 6-11 Stefan Nastic on the front line. But the Flyers showed no fear. They had their best success when the attacked the basket.
Dayton made 8-of-23 from 3-point range, but it was the points in the paint, 36, that demoralized the Cardinal, who got 21 points from Chasson Randle and 17 from Powell.
When Devin Oliver sliced the Stanford defense for a layup with 2:48 to go, it gave Dayton a 77-63 lead.
"We're a tough group of guys and we're a tough group of competitors," said Oliver, who scored 12 points. "We believe that on any given night we can beat anybody."
Call them Cinderella if you like, but the Flyers aren't surprised by their success. On Saturday, they'll be playing for a trip to the Final Four.
"It's a great experience," Smith said. "Going from last year, watching the NCAA tournament on TV and in my younger years watching Kemba [Walker] and other people who were from New York, it's an unbelievable experience."
His cell phone is going to be busy.
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