The A-10 Rodeo
March 1, 2010 Harry Baujan 
Unlike Donoher, I think I have some pretty good job security with The Rodeo. Obviously this masterpiece could not be recreated by anyone other than Harry Baujan himself. The complicated formula of Recapping Important Games + Top Performers + Upcoming Schedule = Rodeo Success, is quite extensive and difficult to master. As I write this, I am lamenting over the USA loss and pretending that I have been a huge hockey fan for more than 14 days. Having the US be so close and then lose it leaves me feeling the same as say, the 6 games that the Flyers have dropped by 4 points or less.
In an article a while back, I had attributed the discrepancy between last year’s Flyers and this year’s Flyers to luck. I decided to check up with my guy Ken Pomeroy and while the Flyers were previously the 322nd luckiest team in the country (or unluckiest at this point) they are now the 338th. For the record, there are 347 D1 basketball programs. Needless to say, the Flyers better get their four-leaf clovers and rabbit’s feet ready for Selection Sunday, because they will need all the luck they can get. With that being said, let’s get it started:
News
I was shocked that in a “must win” road game, that the Flyers decided to collectively leave their jumpers in Dayton. There is not much to say about this game other than it was dismal at best. I am fortunate enough to have been on my way home from work during the first half and missed it entirely. I thought that my BlackBerry was frozen when I went to check the score and it said 19-13 at halftime. I tuned in after halftime and realized that it was not my BlackBerry it was just the awful shooting by both teams that resulted in that score. It was the same story line that has plagued the Flyers this entire season, poor shot selection and numerous turnovers. How many times do “we” have to turn the ball over on the hand off pass on the wing, before we adjust? It is ridiculous how many telegraphed passes are thrown by this team possession after possession, game after game. CW kept the Flyers in the game with 12 points and 13 rebounds. While we are used to seeing Ryan Brooks and Juan Fernandez at the top of the stat sheets for the Owls, the main weapon for them in this game was Lavoy Allen. The junior forward posted only 9 points but hauled in a ridiculous 17 rebounds. Allen also added 3 assists and 3 blocks while playing nearly the entire game (39 minutes). Needless to say, every game is a “must win” for the Flyers after dropping 2 straight.
With Temple improving to 12-2 in conference with the win over the Flyers, it was on to Cincinnati to see who would keep pace with the Owls as Xavier hosted Richmond. Both squads entered the game with an impressive 11-2 conference record and it took 2 periods of extra time to decide the winner. For once, Jordan Crawford was not the shining light for the Muskies. JC had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation as well as at the end of the first overtime, but missed a jumper both times. Terrell Holloway on the other hand had a stellar game with 24 points, with 11 of them coming in the extra periods, and 5 rebounds. The Spiders were also lead by someone other than their star, Kevin Anderson. It was David Gonzalvez that paced the Spiders with an impressive 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 steals. Look for this game to be very important when it comes to seeding for the AC Showdown.
Top Performers
Terrell Holloway Xavier vs. Richmond
- As stated above, Holloway stepped his game up when the go-to guy, JC, was not responding in pressure situations. While his 24 points are very impressive, the 11 points in OT that lead to the win are what really lands him on this list. The Muskies will rely on Holloway to continue to step up as defenses focus all of their attention on JC.
David Gonzalvez Richmond vs. Xavier
- With Kevin Anderson having an off shooting night (8-21) it was up to Gonzalvez to step up. He did just that by posting 18 points on 4-7 shooting from behind the arc. Not only did he lead the team in scoring but the 6’4 guard also pulled a team high 9 rebounds. As with the above example with Xavier, the Spiders hope to continue to get this production out of Gonzalvez as more defenses zone in on stopping Anderson.
Chris Gaston Fordham vs. St. Bonaventure
JC loves JCI can’t skip over my boy up north. Gaston continued his stellar freshman season as the Rams dropped their 19th straight. Gaston posted his 17th double-double of the year as he poured in 18 points and added 13 rebounds. Why has BG not rescinded Kav’s scholarship and offered it to Gaston yet? I would love to get him as a transfer, because the kid can play.
Jordan Crawford Xavier vs. St. Louis
- Come on, you didn’t really think that we would get through a Rodeo without talking about JC as a top performer, did you? He did it again. JC posted 26 points on 11-20 shooting and 5 rebounds as the Muskies squeaked by with a 73-71 win. With this performance, JC is now averaging 20 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 3 APG. The Flyers can only hope that JC goes pro this spring so they don’t have to worry about stopping the defending A-10 POY next year.
Looking Forward to This Week
Temple @ SLU 3/3
- This is a much more important game for the Billikens than it is for the Owls. Saint Louis looks to add another quality win to their resume as Temple tries to maintain their #1 position in the conference. While SLU boasts a 15-2 home record this year, the Owls are a very good road team as they have gone 11-3 in contests away from Philly. As always, look for guard play to dominate this contest as Fernandez and Brooks match up against Kwamain Mitchell. I have the Owls winning this one 63-56.
Charlotte @ URI 3/3
- With both teams on the bubble and competing for 4th place in the conference standings, this is sure to be a good match up. Both teams are coming off of losses and look to rebound as a 2 game losing streak during the home stretch would not be looked on fondly by the committee. I see the Cookie Monster getting “his” in this game, as the forwards for URI will not be able to contain his size. Charlotte takes this contest 81-76.
Dayton @ Richmond 3/4
A must win for the Flyers in this one. As always, the Flyers have struggled on the road and better not perform like they did in Philly last week. Richmond does not have too deep of a bench so if they Flyers can get out and run in this game they will be able to wear down the Spiders. Just because I can’t imagine how many things I will break if they lose this game, I have the Flyers taking home the W with a score of 67-63.
Richmond @ Charlotte 3/6
- With a short turn around for both squads, this will be an early indication of how these teams will fair in AC and possibly the big dance. Although Richmond is only 6-6 on the road this year, I think their guard play of Anderson and Gonzalvez will be too much to handle for the 49ers. I’ve got Richmond winning this game, 64-56.
SLU @ Dayton 3/6
- As both team’s big dance hopes hang in the balance, this is sure to be a headed battle. The Flyers look to avenge their overtime loss at Saint Louis as Slick Rick brings the Billikens to UD Arena. On senior night the Flyers will not lose at home. UD rides a 3 game win streak into AC as they take this match up 68-56.
Be sure to tune in early and often this week, as there are a lot of Hexagon match ups. This week will determine all of the seeding for AC as well as some team’s tournament chances, whether that is the NCAA or NIT. Please Flyers do not fuck this up for me. You have already caused me to lose my hair at a more rapid pace than previously and your play, coupled with my lack of exercise, has made me develop an irregular heartbeat. If for no other reason than to salvage the little sanity that the Gem City's finest has left, finish the regular season with two wins and head into AC with some momentum. As with my tweets that Paul Williams reads on a regular basis and takes offense to, I hope BG reads this and posts it on the cork board of the locker room as a form of motivation. Once again, thanks for tuning into The A10 Rodeo.
Reader Comments (25)
I feel like the past 10 games have been listed as "must wins". We all know those were a "probably must". This is the real deal though, an actual MUST WIN scenario for the Flyers. If UD can pull this off they should probably be on Little Joey's list as an "in" team, although probably not by much. I think they would still need 2 wins in the A10 tournament to get a spot, no easy feat.
Shithouse Rat comment alert on UDPride:
UDGutter2 stating that we will win at Richmond. Based on the abortions we have seen on the road, what gives people the crazy impression that we can win these type of games?
Harry is going to get us sued.
The game time is wrong for the Saint Louis game. The game is at 7pm.
i better not eat anything on thursday because there is a good chance i will be throwing up after the richmond game
@Mighty MO: I just copied and pasted from the A-10 site, not gonna go back and change it.
Let's think about who the Flyers HAVE beaten on the road this season...hmmm Miami, George Mason, and St. Bonnie (and if you think Fordham counts go back to posting on UD pride please) And all three of them seemed like a struggle to pull out a W. All of you who have even remotely tried to convince yourselves that we're going to win this one...join the ham & eggers bandwaggon. What does Richie have in common with the other three teams on our road victory list? Almost Nothing!
I love the Flyers as much as the rest of you but I'm just not getting my hopes up for this one just because ITS A MUST WIN! This Richmond team is going to be pissed after losing the double OT thriller to Xavier and a shot at the A-10 title. And we all saw what they did to Temple at home and at Xavier on Sunday...not even if we did have all of "Pomeroy's luck factor" on our side would we have a shot at winning this one.
Unless UD shows me something I haven't seen all year long on the road...I just can't see it happening. If anyone has any logical reason otherwise I'd love to hear it!
The truth hurts.
THE truth and THE GAME! hurts.
Donoher, is that you posting under the alias "THE GAME!"??
Sorry to disappoint ya Harry not a Donoher alias...just a long time frustrated reader of the BR who usually reads more than posts. I just couldn't hold it in this time...
The Truth is Paul Pierce.
Everything else is a lie.
Couldn't agree more, Game. I had the slightest fleeting hope that Dayton would win this game until I saw Richmond play Xavier. Simply put, if they had stayed disciplined on offense instead of jacking quick shots, they would have beaten Xavier by 10 points at Cintas. At home they'll stick to the plan. They simply don't miss good shots. I don't see any way Wright guards Justin Harper without fouling. How in the hell is Lowery supposed to guard Kevin Anderson for 20 minutes?
A Dayton win would be as shocking as the Louisville win a couple of years ago.
@Adam: forget about Lowery, what about London? Anderson drove at will against London last year, especially during the conference tourney. He is nearly impossible to stay in front of. I just don't like the matchup at all. The league's best backcourt, decent inside presence with Justin Harper, Dan Geriot and one of the best defenders in the league in Ryan Butler. Oh, and it's on the road.
We're fucked.
"We're fucked."
Not just fucked, fucked raw dog.
only chance we have is if bg abandons the "system" not happening. cw and cj need to get 35+ in this game, not happening. devon needs to play more than kurt and london needs to play more than rob, not happening. a big fuck you bg
Only chance we have is if we magically start hitting our outside shots. I can only assume Richmond will play zone which will of course lead to us shooting 25+ three pointers. If Lowery goes 6-10 instead of 0-10, then we might just pull this one out.
You're better off hoping Kurt and Rob miss the bus...
THE GAME! Long time reader first time poster. Your assesment is pretty solid. The truth does hurt. "We" haven't shown a lot on the road this season. However, the beauty of sport is anything can happen and if we somehow win this one we are right back in it. We've got to shorten the bench this game. Agree on the 35+ mins for CJ/Wrigtht. CJs got to crash the boards and be aggressive off the dribble. Searcy is posting THE GAME's comments on the bulletin board right now. No one can stop this Band of Brothers!
@Tweeds: I LOVE this "Band of Brothers" bullshit. Uh, fellas, the "us vs. the world" shit works when no one believed in you. You were expected to win the A-10 this year and easily make the tournament, everyone believed in you. You have earned your current state of mediocrity, accept it. It's not the fans fault you are currently 2-5 on the road in conference. It's not the fans fault you are a terrible perimeter team.
The reason people don't believe in you now is due to the fact that you have given them reason to. You have underachieved on a grand scale. It's hard to play David when you were supposed to be Goliath.
Some poster on UDpride just compared UD playing UCLA in the NCAA title game to, among other things, Madison Square Garden, Yankee Stadium, and the miracle on ice in terms of tradition. Everyone is chastising Lowery for not respecting UD's "tradition." Keep living in the 1960s!
If Dayton sweeps this week I will Blackout Saturday and Sunday.
Great news today, we're spared 4 more years of a Baron. Young Billy Baron has decommitted at URI and verballed to Virgina.
Thank goodness, I'm tired of that entire damn family causing me nightmares. Maybe this is a precursor to the old man stepping down/getting canned.
@Adam: That is good news. But I don't think we can read much into Big Baron leaving URI anytime soon. When we interviewed Paul Kenyon from the Providence Journal, he mentioned how difficult it was for Jimmy Baron to play under his Dad. Mentioned how Big Baron was especially hard on his son and how this had led to Baby Baron considering other schools.