For those of us who thought we had an idea of how UD was going to perform this year, it’s back to the drawing board. Again.
Towson guard Josh Thornton hit on all 6 of his 3-point attempts in the first half giving Towson a comfortable 9-point edge heading into half time. And for those of us who thought that was going the most unforeseen storyline of this game, we were sorely mistaken.
The second half started as the first half had ended with Towson methodically increasing their lead to 18 points with 9:33 left in the game leaving the Flyer Faithful restless, confused and silenced. From that point on, it was all Flyers who ended the game on a 28-5 run to pull out the victory.
"We executed well down the stretch to get Chris Johnson and Paul Williams open shots. We've done a good job of executing key plays at key times. We always talk about how close games can make or break your season,” said UD coach Brian Gregory.
Clutch play and shooting down the stretch by Chris Johnson, Mickey Perry, and Paul Williams reignited the crowd effectively taking Towson out of their game and propelling UD to an incredible come from behind 74-69 victory.
"Sometimes you get so caught up in the game you lose track of time and the score”, said UD junior Chris Wright who finished with 20 points and 9 rebounds. “We called a timeout with 12 minutes left in the game and we were a bit surprised. We just had to dig deep.”
After the surprisingly high scoring 90-80 win over Creighton, the rollercoaster games in Puerto Rico and now this inconsistent performance against Towson, it seems as though expecting the unexpected will be the norm for this Flyer team. It is highly doubtful they will be able to have a successful season winning games on runs alone. Playing hard-nosed defense, consistently scoring in the half court and limiting casual turnovers for 40 minutes will make UD a hard team to beat.
Hopefully they can get to that level sooner rather than later.
UD heads to Oxford to battle Miami (OH) (2-4) this Wednesday at 7pm.
There is no question that UD had an incredible opportunity to solidify their program on the national stage if they could have defeated either No. 4 Villanova or Kansas State after winning a grueling game against No. 25 Georgia Tech. Unfortunately that was not the case and now the Flyers see themselves on the outside of the top 25.
I am still very confident the Flyers will make the NCAA Tournament this year, but depending on how successful UD is in the rest of their non-conference games, those back-to-back defeats may cast a negative light as the selection committee ponders what seeding UD deserves. Clearly there is still a lot of basketball to be played, but a 2-1 (or 3-0) record in Puerto Rico would have put the Flyers in a much more favorable position to start the year.
Going forward, UD will need to improve on the weaknesses (sloppy ball handling, lackluster defense) that were exposed in Puerto Rico, get Rob Lowery back to playing at the same level he did last season and do their best to run the table in the rest of their non-conference games. The games at George Mason and at New Mexico will likely be the biggest tests for UD before A-10 play begins.
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Getting better everyday was a goal UD Coach Brian Gregory challenged his team with from day one this year. On Sunday, the Flyers were unable to take a step forward as Kansas State guards Denis Clemente and Jacob Pullen torched UD defenders combining for 47 points on 6-11 shooting from 3-point land.
"We're not defending and rebounding as well as you need to in order to be successful against high quality teams on a consistent basis”, said Coach Gregory. “It's just a fact. We only lost one player from last year and he only averaged 4 rebounds per game, so it's not that. We need to do a much better job”.
For a team that prides itself on intense defense and the ability to take opponents out of their offense, UD was unable to do so on Sunday committing foul after foul allowing Kansas St. to shoot 44 free-throws and lost the rebounding battle by 12.
The positive from this game was UD’s ability to claw back in the second half similar to the Villanova game. Unfortunately, the outcome was the same as the Flyers cut the lead to 3 with 3:15, but could get no closer. Each time it looked like UD was going to break through, Kansas St. answered with a quick basket or got to the foul line where they outscored UD by 11 points.
Chris Wright finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds and Marcus Johnson had his first good performance in Puerto Rico adding 14 points.
There is definite cause for concern about the UD offensive attack. Without a solid post scorer and an inability to consistently score in the half court, UD will need to reassess their game plan better involving their superior athleticism and not relying on long jump shots and out of control drives to the basket.
UD tries to get back on track at UD Arena against Towson this Saturday at 2pm.
Big players step up in big games and unfortunately for the Flyer Faithful, neither Chris Wright nor Marcus Johnson answered the call this afternoon.
UD cut an 18-point deficit to just 2 with 1:39 left in the second half but were unable to tie or take the lead as Villanova outscored the Flyers 7-3 to close the game.
Wright, who finished with 15 points and 4 rebounds, never was in synch with his teammates or the flow of the game turning the ball over 6 times and playing out of control. As Villanova increased there lead in the second half, Wright tried his best to do what any premiere player would do and that’s put his team on his back. Unfortunately, Wright could not do so and as ESPN analyst Hubert Davis noted during the telecast, he is going to need to learn how to play under control and not force his drives.
After Wright, one would expect senior Marcus Johnson to excel and make his presence known both on offense and defense during such pivotal games. Though for the second night in a row, Johnson did not contribute. In Puerto Rico, Johnson is a dismal 1-15 with the only field goal coming on a fast break slam dunk.
Villanova was led by junior guard Corey Fisher who ended with a game high 18 points. Fisher was the catalyst of the Wildcats attack while fellow pre-season Wooden Award candidate Scotty Reynolds finished with just 8 points after playing 39 minutes against George Mason the previous night. Duke transfer Taylor King (13 points) and Antonio Pena (14 points) also chipped in for Villanova.
"I thought Corey Fisher did a great job of controlling the tempo for us. We went through a stretch where we were struggling to score in the second half and he made a couple of big plays to get to the line,” said Villanova coach Jay Wright.
The two bright spots for UD was the play of sophomore forward Luke Fabrizius who ended with 16 points on 5-9 shooting from 3-point land. Fabrizius also pulled down 9 rebounds. Mickey Perry also bounced back after a lackluster performance against Georgia Tech playing more composed and adding 10 points.
“No question, Mickey played well. Chris Johnson played fairly well, Luke Fabrizius played pretty well for us. We've got some guys making some strides, and that is only going to help us as we continue to build the identity of this year's team,” said UD coach Brian Gregory.
The Flyers have a day off and then have a chance to capture third place at the O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-off on Sunday as they square off against Kansas State. Be sure to tune in to the Dayton Sports Scene on WING AM-1410 Monday at 5:00 p.m. as Mark Neal and I break down all three games and take calls about Flyer hoops!
Congratulations to 18th ranked Dayton Flyers who defeated No. 21 Georgia Tech in the first round of the O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-off 63-59.
Luckily it is early in the season because UD is going to have to play a lot better and smarter to be able to continue such success as the season progresses.
Paul Williams bailed out the Flyers, who squandered a ten point second half lead, scoring the last 7 points for the Flyers, including 4 straight free-throws to put the game out of reach.
In the first half, both teams showed spurts of brilliance with Chris Johnson and Luke Fabrizius combining for six 3-point shots, and Georgia Tech was paced by solid interior play from Gani Lawal and freshman phenom Derrick Favors.
The second half was dominated by a pair of runs, the first coming from the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech really took it to the Flyers midway through the first half going on an 18-3 run in just under 7 minutes. At the 5:19 mark, Coach Gregory took a 30 second timeout that motivated the Flyers to play inspired basketball to finish the game. That timeout sparked a gutsy 14-4 run where Paul Williams and Chris Johnson excelled down the stretch and the Flyers intense defense limited Georgia Tech to only two field goals to close out the game. Chris Johnson finished with a game high 19 points and 7 rebounds, while Williams chipped in 13 points off the bench.
The most glaring aspect of this game was the sloppy play by both sides. With each team committing over 20 turnovers (48 total), there was never any type of consistent tempo or rhythm. Poor passing and rusty execution is expected this early in the season, but when both teams are ranked in the top 25 nationally, this type of game was not expected.
That said, a win is a win and the Flyers will take them any way they can, especially beating a highly touted Yellow Jacket squad who is picked to come in 4th in the ACC this season.
There were times when the Flyers showed their incredible ability to knock down outside shots, play hard-nosed defense and excel in transition. But their inability to extend a second half lead and minimize lapses in concentration leave obvious room for improvement. Correcting these problems will propel this Flyer team to a new level.
After speaking with Flyers assistant coach Jon Borovich last week, I came away with a clear understanding of how focused this year’s team is. Instead of typical Midnight Madness festivities including a slam-dunk contest and a three-point shootout, the players instead clamored for a normal practice.
“For us it’s an opportunity to hit the ground running”, said Borovich.
This is clearly in response to e difficulty and importance of the early season schedule where after two exhibition games, Creighton visits UD Arena, followed by the Puerto Rico Tip-Off four days later when the Flyers will play Georgia Tech in the opening round. Creighton really took it to the Flyers last season beating them by 18 in Omaha, and the Flyers are slated to clash with 22nd ranked Georgia Tech of the ACC and possibly 5th ranked Villanova, Kansas State and/or George Mason among others.
Having been around Coach Gregory and how he and his staff approach a season, I have identified 3 C’s that will prove vital if the Flyers will be able to repeat or surpass their success last season.
Confidence – Defined as a “belief in oneself and one's powers or abilities”, confidence may be the most important factor for this year’s team. Some may think this is a bit of a stretch, but I would argue that successfully honing this sense of confidence may put the Flyer’s in an elite class this season. Taking into account all the success last year in winning 27 games, placing second in the A-10 regular season and reaching the NCAA tournament and advancing past West Virginia, who’s to say this team can’t trump last years accomplishments by increasing their team free-throw percentage from 64% or better their 5-6 road record? Imagine if our guards made better decisions with ball or if our post players finished a few more plays in the paint? These improvements will come from experience and confidence that they have acquired together leaving this senior-led team poised to take this program to a new level for years to come.
Chemistry – With only two departures from last year’s team in Charles Little and Stephen Thomas, and one arrival in Centerville’s Matt Kavanaugh, the core of last year’s team will be back for the 2009-2010 campaign. As opposed to breaking down the team’s core player by player, I’d like to point out the importance of having a good team chemistry and camaraderie in a locker room. Having had first-hand experience with previous Flyer teams, I can attest to how player relationships and non-basketball related issues can affect the quality of a teams play on the court. From what I sensed in speaking with Coach Borovich and having been around the players early this season, it seems as though they have bought into Coach Gregory’s style and program, understanding that the name on the front of their jersey is what’s most important. Coach Gregory has recruited quality players as well as people, and that combination is leads me to believe this Flyer team will reach new heights this season.
Competition – No, I’m not referring to the Flyer’s schedule and making the argument that UD needs to play a tougher non-conference schedule. There’s more to scheduling than meets the eye and can be discussed at a later time. Instead, I’m referring to the competition for playing time at virtually every position. Coach Borovich emphasized this point stressing this year’s team understands the ongoing competitions and due to the competitive nature many of the players possess, they will be motivated to perform at their highest level and push one another. This will only benefit the Flyers as the season goes on. That added depth would allow UD to play at an incredibly fast and up-tempo pace intended to wear down opponents and allow the Flyers to get in the open floor where they excel.
My name is Drew Formentini and I will be providing WINGAM.com and the Dayton Sports Scene featuring Mark Neal with insight about this year’s Dayton Flyer Men’s Basketball squad. As a 2008 graduate of UD, current graduate student and having worked as a student manager during the 2005-2006 season, I have followed the program closely and look forward to delivering interesting commentary both on this website and on the air to engage both readers and listeners.
The blog will include post-game breakdowns, team updates, a weekly poll and a mailbag where I will feature e-mail questions/ comments and react to them.
I hope you enjoy the blog, and get ready for a season that has the potential to be truly memorable.
