When the matchup of Syracuse and Dayton in the NCAA Tournament was announced Sunday night, some were surprised SU got into the Tournament. For Eric Spina, he couldn’t believe the two teams were facing one another.

Spina will be taking over as president of Dayton in July after more than 25 years at SU, including a tenure as vice chancellor and provost. He announced last December that he’d be stepping down as provost and was named the next president of Dayton in September.

“I want both to do well and there they are facing each other. It’s a little bit surreal,” Spina said. “I’ve been here at Syracuse for 27 years and I’ve rooted hard for them the whole time but going to Dayton, and I love my new colleagues at Dayton … so I have a new love and that’s Dayton. So I’m rooting for both to do well but I will be wearing a little bit of red on Friday.”

Spina will be in St. Louis on Friday as the two teams square off in the Round of 64.

As part of his transition to Dayton, Spina is traveling back and forth between Ohio and Syracuse. He currently serves as a Trustee Professor at SU.

“The folks in Syracuse have been very supportive of me making this move and the folks at Dayton have been wonderful,” he said. “They’ve simply reaffirmed the decision my wife and I made to go to Dayton.”

Spina will officially start at Dayton on July 1.