COLUMBUS, Ohio – Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman and his counterpart in Dayton are making a friendly wager on the NCAA men’s basketball tournament matchup between the Buckeyes and the University of Dayton Flyers.
At stake: Locally made treats to satisfy a sweet tooth and – shall we say –a more mature palate.
Should Ohio State lose, Coleman will owe Whaley an assortment of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, the well-known Columbus dessert.
Backing the Flyers, Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley bet a basket of snacks that includes Esther Price chocolates, Mike Sells Potato Chips and Buckeye Vodka.
“I invite my good friend Mayor Whaley to join me in Columbus Thursday to watch her Dayton Flyers put up a valiant—but ultimately futile—effort against the Ohio State Buckeyes. After the game, I promise to fix her a Buckeye Vodka Martini from my winnings,” Coleman said in a joint statement from the mayors.
“Of course I am rooting for Coach [Archie] Miller and the Flyers. Since Ohio State won’t play us in the UD Arena, we are happy to play them in Buffalo. We have already beat a number of BCS teams on neutral courts, we are happy to add OSU to the list,” Whaley countered.
Ohio State (25-9) leads the all-time series against the Flyers (23-10), winning four of the six meetings, including the last two in a row. The Buckeyes won the last meeting in the third round of the 2008 National Invitation Tournament, 74-63.
The game tips off at 12:15 p.m. on CBS