Charlotte Recap: No Bears Were Shot

Poison be damned, Chris Johnson just keeps rolling. The senior, making one of his last appearances at UD Arena in the home whites, led the Flyers to a75-65 victory over Charlotte. CJ finished the game with 22 points and 9 rebounds. Johnson has been in great form since the St. Joseph’s game, the Duquesne game appearing to be an outlier, averaging 17.3 points since the loss to the Hawks. CJ has had a very erratic season, but his current play could prove the difference over the next two and a half weeks (yup, just seventeen days until the Flyers close up shop against George Washington.)

After an uneven first half which saw the Flyers down three at the break, UD jumped out to a quick start during the second frame, taking a five-point lead on a Josh Parker three-pointer with just over fifteen minutes to play. The Niners and Flyers were within striking distance of each other when a terrible foul by Dillard resulted in three foul shots for Charlotte. Jamar Briscoe converted all three and Dayton was down a point as Dillard headed to the bench with his fourth foul.

Dillard’s absence was like a momma bear leaving her cubs behind in a cave, surely her spawn would be shot in the face, one by one, and hung over a fireplace in someone’s ranch. However, the Flyers hung tight and managed, on some timely shooting, to outscore the 49ers 29-18 the rest of the way to earn their sixth league victory.

Devin Oliver had a bit of a coming out party tonight, finishing with 14 points and 6 rebounds in 31 minutes of play. He even had a prison-rules block at the end of the game with the Flyers up a commanding ten points. It was Oliver’s best game in a Dayton uniform, an encouraging indicator for the future.

The one negative aspect of tonight’s game was the Flyer’s perpetual Achilles heel, interior defense. UD had no answer (weren’t even sure of the question) for Chris Braswell inside. The senior scored a rather effortless 27 points and physically had his way with both Kavanaugh and Big Frog. Nevertheless, Braswell was essentially a non-factor during the game’s latter stage, falling to the wayside as Charlotte settled on perimeter shots late in the contest.  

Ralph Hill had an air-balled free-throw, never forget.

Pretty sure there is a game this weekend. Don’t quote me on that, I’ll get back to you.

Fordham Recap: No Refunds

That was the Chris Johnson I thought we’d see this season. CJ was seemingly everywhere on the court this afternoon: hitting clutch threes from the wing, finishing on the break, playing stellar defense and grabbing a bushel of rebounds (including a vicious leap which resulted in a somersault over a presumably lifeless Luke Fabrizius late in the game). The senior from Columbus broke out a vintage performance, 22 points and 13 rebounds, to pace the Flyers over Fordham, 72-70, in overtime. UD, losers of four in a row, were desperately looking for a slump buster. In Fordham, the Flyers were presented with a 35 year-old divorced mother of two, in town for a Career Coaching seminar.

Yes, it was against the lowly Rams, and yes, it was a little too late as far as the season is concerned. However, it was comforting to know that Johnson still has that type of execution left in his barrel. That was Super Sophomore CJ out there, not Sluggish Senior CJ. Who knows if Dayton can recapture some of the magic that catapulted it to the top of the league standings early on, almost certainly not, but with consistent play from CJ anything seems possible (I’m really pouring on the optimism juice).

UD needed everything Johnson gave them, as the rest of the Flyers struggled to find offense throughout the contest. The lone exception was Josh Parker, invisible in the first half, who managed 14 points on the afternoon. Parker hit a pair of crucial threes in the second half and played rather flawlessly with the ball in his hands. Kevin Dillard penetrated into the lane to force overtime on a heady drive to the basket with just under 30 seconds to play in the game. Ralph Hill played twenty-four minutes. Twenty. Four.

A Matt Kav kicked ball along the baseline, picked up by Josh Parker, sealed the win for the Flyers. A missed violation by the officials was an appropriate manner in which to end the game, as the refereeing in this game was, to be kind, inconsistent.

The Flyers, now 15-9 on the season (just 5-5 in league play), come back home to the waiting arms of UD Arena to face down a modest Charlotte squad on Wednesday night. Feign excitement.

Duquesne Recap: Punch of Reality

Another painful loss for the home team as the Flyers were outclassed by Duquesne at the Arena, 83-73. The defeat drops UD to an even 4-4 in the league, 14-8 overall. For a program that prides itself on defending its backyard, back-to-back home losses (third in a row) do not inspire confidence in the rest of the 2011-12 campaign. With five of its last eight games on the road, an even split would register as a positive result.

The Dukes jumped out to a sixteen point lead and sucked all of the energy out of the building early in the first half. UD managed to cut the edge to nine points at the break, a minor victory in and of itself. The Flyers went on a run of its own in the second frame, using a 13-3 spurt to close the gap to two points midway through the half. The Flyers actually took a 57-55 lead at one point, but Duquesne went on another run and closed UD out rather emphatically down the stretch.

Kevin Dillard did all he could, scoring a game-high 22 points and 7 assists. Matt Kavanaugh was like a drunken uncle at Thanksgiving, playing against his autistic nephews on a Nerf hoop in the basement. Kav could pretty much do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. Which is why his not getting a shot in the last thirteen and a half minutes of the game was kind of…odd? Nevertheless, the Boofer did manage to drop seventeen points on the night.

The Flyer season has been like a Wes Anderson movie. The beginning draws you in, the characters are intriguing, and the second act sets the stage for what should be a fantastic ending. Then, the close of the film drags until its uneventful end, leaving you with a feeling that the whole thing could have, should have, been so much more. Something that began with so much promise had no business ending on such an imperfect note (and please, I beg of you, please, no more Anjelica Huston).

Two big picture questions to consider:

• What do we lose by limiting Paul Willie’s minutes at this point? Williams is sort of like a moribund fifth-year senior QB on a college football team that just eliminated itself from bowl contention.  Time to give the underclassman some reps. There’s no point in furthering the Paul Williams experience. We’ve seen it, we’ve felt it, and we’ve somehow survived it. Not saying he should be buried on the bench, the team’s depth makes that impractical, but how about switching his minutes with Oliver? Archie has a lot more to gain by getting increased minutes for the sophomore than continuing the bleeding with PW.

• Who experienced a more disappointing senior season, Chris Wright or Chris Johnson? Granted CJ’s season hasn’t come to a definitive conclusion yet, but we are at a point in the season where it’s fair to draw a ballpark estimate. This isn’t to say that Johnson is having an appalling season, far from it. He is averaging around eleven points and grabbing approximately six boards a game. The senior from Columbus is shooting a more than respectable 44% from the floor, 41% from three and 82% from the line. That’s a statistically solid season, nothing to be ashamed of.  But you would be lying if you said you weren’t disappointed with CJ’s output this season. Personally, I expected him to finish his senior year with 15-17/7-8 production. Not going to happen. Chris Johnson, Chris Wright, Marcus Johnson, Tony Stanley – the curse of the Flyer senior season continues.

Bottom line, a thirty game season has a way of evening itself out. Dayton experienced some unforeseen highs and will more than likely close out the season experiencing some predictable lows (which would seem to include another loss down in Cincinnati). So with shifting expectations, what’s a realistic goal at this point? A home tournament game in the first round of the A-10 tournament is still very much attainable. Given Dayton’s conference tournament performance last year, and its apparent proclivity to get hot at a moment’s notice, it’s a worthwhile aim.

Rhode Island Recap: Brick From the Wall

There are bad losses and then there are soul-crushing defeats. Tonight was a soul stomper. The Rhode Island Rams, the owners of a 0-6 conference record coming into tonight’s ballgame, came into the Arena and lit the Flyers up for 85 points and a four-point road victory. The Flyers, looking for an undemanding victory, failed to take down what amounts to a wounded animal. The loss pulls the Flyers back down to reality, now just 4-3 in the Atlantic Ten.

In March, G.C. Cager fans will have either one of two recollections of tonight’s defeat:

1. “Once we lost to Rhode Island, I totally knew the season was over, bro.”
2. “Dude, I thought the season was over once we lost to Rhody. Can’t believe UD made the tournament. How horrible is college basketball this season? Still shocked that Obama came out of the closet.”

81 points, on an average night, should be more than enough to beat the likes of Rhode Island. The Rams were 0-9 in games when they allowed 75 points or more. Make that 1-9.

URI was averaging 68 points per game coming into the game tonight. They blew past that number with five minutes to go – eventually eclipsing that mark by 18 when all was said and done.

The fuck?Dayton doesn’t have to play defense like Ohio State to contend in the Atlantic Ten. In fact, just mediocre defense alone would likely have the Flyers at 16-5/17-4 overall, probably 5-2, maybe even 6-1, in the league. Instead, UD is allowing 77 points in conference play. Seventy…seven. The Washington Generals think the Flyers have a long way to go defensively.   

The loss muddies solid performances from both Chris Johnson (20 points, 12 rebounds) and Kevin Dillard (12 points, 13 assists). Even ol’ Luke Fabrizius managed to kick in 17 points on the night. Usually, these factors equal a victory.

What else can you say about Paul Williams? PW followed up one of the worst performances these gorgeous bedroom eyes have seen with yet another bed-shitter. In 29 minutes, Paul Willie shot 1-for-6 from the floor, finishing with three points and three turnovers. There isn’t a white woman alive who could do that much damage to a black man. Maybe an underage girl? I don’t want to speculate.    

Dillard, so consistent during the season, had a bit of a breakdown during the closing minutes of the contest. Two turnovers on back-to-back possessions gave Rhody all the breathing room it needed to take down the Flyers. Luke Fab’s two late three-pointers merely put some fancy wrapping on an otherwise unsightly gift.

Rosceaux adds his two cents:

That was a shitty loss. The thing you have to remember about Baron and his A-10 Coach of the Year awards is that he got them by shitting the bed in OOC play each year, and then stringing together great conference runs. He is the anti-Gregory in those regards. He lowers his own expectations, and then his teams come on strong.

How does this relate to tonight’s fiasco? Baron teams take a long time to gel. He just got his two best players onto the team in December. They’ve been playing better each successive game. Just as UD was lucky to catch a break with Eric out for Temple, they were unlucky to catch Rhody after the team began to play better. They just took the Bonnies to OT in their last game for Christsakes.

Is Coach Archie the new BG? Absolutely not. Is he the new John Wooden? Not. Would I love to bang his wife? Totally.

And yes, this is awesome:

The Flyers get back to business on Wednesday when the Dukes come into town. We don’t like to use the phrase “must-win” around here (ahem), but let’s just say a win against Duquesne is vital to UD’s fluttering postseason hopes.

St. Joseph's Recap: All that Glitters

The Flyers shot 34% from the floor and 26% from the three-point line tonight in Philly. This Dayton team won’t beat anyone with that type of shooting; they need to hit around 50% and 40% respectively to take down even the most mediocre of teams (which is exactly what St. Joe’s is) away from home. The Flyers finally hit a road bump, succumbing to St. Joseph’s, 77-63, in front a raucous and oftentimes greasy crowd.

The Flyers were very much in the game, up seven early in the second half, before a nearly six-minute scoring drought let St. Joe’s back into the game. A CJ Aiken three-pointer extended the SJU lead to nine and the Flyers never challenged the Hawks again. The lead ballooned to as much as 16 late in the game. The Flyers energy after the half was non-existent, resulting in being outscored by 19 points in the second frame.

Only Kevin Dillard and Chris Johnson (finally) showed a pulse against the Hawks. The duo led the way for the Flyers with 17 points apiece, CJ grabbing a team-high eight rebounds as well. Outside of Johnson and Dillard, no other Flyer showed the willingness to make something happen on either side of the floor. Although Ralph Hill’s 7 point/7 rebound effort was somewhat encouraging. I actually found myself calling out for Ralph near the end of the ballgame.

Considering the huge win over the weekend against the Overlords and their absolute torrid offensive rate as of late, the G.C. Cagers were due for a letdown sooner rather than later. UD came into tonight’s game averaging 81 points per game in conference play, best in the league, relying on what was surely unsustainable shooting to edge their opponents out. It all came crashing down against the Hawks, as UD was only able to connect on seven threes, attempting twenty-seven.  

The glaring mismatch occurred down low, where Dayton got absolutely manhandled by SJU’s big men. Ronald Roberts (27 pts), CJ Aiken (14 pts) and Halil Kanacevic (13 pts) combined for 54 of the Hawks’ 77 points (40 of those points coming in the paint). That’s total domination, kids. Martelli’s club found easy bucket after easy bucket down the stretch while Dayton was content to jack away from 22 feet. Aiken was effective defensively, blocking five shots and altering even more. The Flyer bigs were simply out-matched and out-worked.

Lastly, Paul Williams’s stat line:

I’m not sure if it’s the worst performance ever in a UD uniform, but it’s certainly in the discussion.

Tonight’s disappointment wasn't necessarily unexpected, yet it does serve as a wakeup call in some respects. Although Dayton is way ahead of schedule, there is still a lot of work to do. The Flyers return home for a very winnable clash with Rhode Island this Saturday.

Red Out = Business as Usual?

Temple Recap: Killadelphia

An unbelievable performance for UD as the Flyers take down Temple, ending the Owl’s twenty-five home winning streak in the process, 87-77. Dayton remains perched atop the A10 table with a mere 14 games to go. A split between Temple and Saint Louis would have been remarkable, two wins just greedy. Yet here we stand 2-0, establishing a legitimate threat to the powers that be in the conference.

While today’s result was completely unexpected, a few key indicators tell the tale:

• The Ivory Towers combined for 33 points and 17 rebounds. UD had a considerable advantage size-wise over Temple and the Flyer bigs were able to produce accordingly. Although this was the Owl’s glaring weakness ending the contest, there was no guaranteeing a positive performance from the UD frontline. On this day, Gem City exploited Temple’s size deficiency for all it was worth

• UD outrebounded the Owls 39-27. Following up on the previous comment, the Flyers took care of business on the boards using their size advantage to create second chance opportunities on offense and eliminate Temple’s secondary looks on defense. A twelve rebound edge is a huge benefit against a club like Temple.

• For once, Josh Parker wasn’t a liability. The senior scored 16 points, including some clutch threes, and only turned the ball over twice in 28 minutes.

• The foul line. Dayton got to the stripe plenty and converted 91% of their attempts, shooting 19-for-21 on the day. Good things happen when the Flyers are hitting their freebies.  

• Bench play. Dayton’s reserves outscored Temple’s 23-7. Not only were Parker, Big Frog and Oliver able to contribute solid minutes, they were also productive. Even Ralph Hill was able to step in for five harmless minutes when called upon. Temple’s trio of DiLeo, Cummings and Brown were ineffective for the majority of their time on the floor.

• Brian Gregory wasn’t the coach

Dayton could have very easily started their A10 campaign 0-3; instead the Flyers head to Olean with a chance to push their record to a perfect 3-0. The first three games were thought to be UD’s sternest test and so far the Flyers are passing with flying colors. A loss to Saint Bonaventure won’t derail any of the good UD has already accomplished. Kid Yuma would have gladly accepted a 2-1 start without hesitation. 3-0 would change the scope of this season completely.

Saint Louis Recap: Helter Skelter

What a strange goddamn game this is. Dayton 2.0 debuted tonight and earned a rather consequential win over the visiting Billikens of Saint Louis. UD had to overcome a miracle banked three (Curse of the Majerus?) from Cody Ellis that sent the game to overtime, but rallied like champs to pull away from SLU on near-perfect shooting in the extra period.

Saint Louis did itself no favors, shooting an abysmal 39% from the floor and just 26% from behind the arc. Dayton played about as efficient as they are capable of – limiting their long-range bombs to a rather discreet 14 attempts from three-point range (hitting 7-of-14 for the night). The Flyers were equally impressive from the foul-line, getting to the line 28 times and converting 24 attempts.

The most encouraging sign was Dayton’s ability to battle back not once but twice and ultimately win the ballgame. UD was down at 8 at halftime and chipped away at SLU’s lead throughout the second half, eventually taking a 55-54 advantage on a Devin Oliver jumper with seven minutes to go in the game. With the momentum clearly on the Bills side after Ellis’ miraculous heave at the end of regulation, UD regrouped and absolutely dominated the overtime, scoring first and never relinquishing the lead. Dayton closed Saint Louis out from the foul-line, pulling away for a 79-72 victory.

Some other expert observations:

• Kevin Dillard continues to put the team on his back doe!!! Kevin Dillard is not a good shooter, doesn’t particularly strike me as a great decision maker with the ball in his hands, BUT there’s no one else on the team capable of sacking up and taking the ball to the hole when the team unquestionably needs a bucket. Dillard’s three-point play with 42 seconds gave the Flyers a two point lead and provided UD with some breathing room. After a Mitchell free throw, Dillard sank two clutch foul shots and gave Gem City what appeared to be a three-point victory in regulation.

• The other redhead has finally joined the cheerleading squad. Apparently she is really doing it in a big way.

• Big Frog, Big Frog, Big Frog. With Benson down, someone had to step up and provide a little production down low. The Frenchman had 12 points and 7 boards in 22 minutes of play. I still think he should be deported.

• Josh Parker only played 18 minutes. This I like.

• CJ tied his season-high with 10 rebounds. Johnson has slowly transformed himself into a stand-still perimeter shooter over his career; it was nice to see him exert effort on the glass for a change.

• I was reminded that Josh Benson’s girlfriend (fiancée?) is white. It’s poison, fellas, absolute poison. When will our soul brothers learn?

• Brian Gregory loses this game.

Tonight’s Flyer victory throws a monkey wrench into an already discombobulated A10 picture. With Xavier going down (again!?!) to La Salle and Saint Louis being felled by Gem City, Temple (with a huge win over Duke) ascends the throne confidently and looks down upon the rest of the conference with unreserved scorn.

And what of the rest of the league? With Xavier shitting the bed like a 95 year-old man with rheumatoid arthritis, the league has lost a substantial player on the national scene. St. Joe’s has some promise, UMass hasn’t really been tested and Saint Bonaventure didn’t win any of its higher profile non-conference matchups. This isn’t to say the door is open for Dayton, I think we all realize this team has plenty of hardship in its near future, but it is certainly open for someone. 

USC-Upstate Recap: Tree Fell, No One Heard It

Watching today’s matchup with South Carolina Upstate was something you absolutely had to justify to yourself. As meaningless a game as has ever been played, the Flyers were coming off an emotionally uplifting upset against Alabama. Personally, I had the Fox Sports Ohio choppy stream going as I watched the Jets/Chiefs game. The Jets game quickly turned into a blow-out and the Flyer game actually remained entertaining throughout, likely too engaging for Archie Miller’s purposes. The Flyers once again proved that they are incapable of consistent production on either end of the floor. A blowout victory against a Top 20 team followed by a close call against a school who just received full D1 membership a month ago – Blaise Pascal couldn’t explain that phenomenon.

The Spartans were more than keeping pace with the Flyers throughout the first half, actually leading 13-8 with around thirteen minutes left. A turning point came midway through the opening twenty minutes, as Kevin Dillard picked up his second foul with UD up 19-17. UD was on a 7-2 run at that juncture and seemed like it was poised to take the game over. From that point on, it turned into a turnover fest for Josh Parker. JP had three turnovers in the closing five minutes of the first frame and USCU was able to turn those opportunities into points (Paul Williams had his own issues as well, coughing the ball up three times in the first half). Luke Fabrizius’ three triples gave the Flyers some offensive punch and Ralph Hill even came in off the bench to hit a long-ranger with just thirty seconds left in the half. Dayton went into the break tied with South Carolina Upstate, 32-32.

The second half was more of the same, as the Spartans were able to match UD basket for basket for most of the closing period. UD, led by Kevin Dillard, was finally able to create some breathing room after Chris Johnson hit two free-throws (his only points of the game) to extend Dayton’s lead to 61-54. But Upstate would not submit easily. A Ty Greene steal, bucket and converted foul shot cut the Flyer lead to just three with 24 seconds in the game. A Torrey Craig putback with four seconds left closed the lead to two, 70-68. USCU, forced to foul, put Paul Willie on the line for two. PW calmly sank both and a desperation three fell short for the Spartans. Final score: 72-68, Dayton.

There’s not much to say about today’s game. UD looked flat throughout the contest and USCU was clearly not impressed with the home team’s recent victory over the nationally ranked Tide. Devin Oliver had what could be a breakthrough performance, finishing up with 12 points and 5 rebounds. Benson and Kavanaugh were solid offensively, combining for 21 points but just 6 boards. Chris Johnson had another disappearing act, an offensive effort that lacked any semblance of assertiveness. CJ only attempted two shots in 25 minutes. Lastly, not that I would ever call for more minutes for Luke Fab, but he seemed to have the hot hand in the first half and I’m not even sure he got off the bench in the second. Odd.

All in all, UD survived and avoided embarrassment. What more could you ask for? Are you not entertained?

Alabama Recap: UD's Half-A-Hulk-Face

Remember how it felt to lose to Buffalo by 29? That’s how Alabama fans are feeling tonight after a two-faced Dayton squad took down the Tide 74-62 at the Arena. Only Bama fans couldn't give two shits about this purely trivial and leisurely pursuit called basketball, so perhaps it’s not quite the same. Tide fans are probably using tonight’s loss as an impetus to turn Tony Mitchell into a tight-end next season.

JaMychal Green picked up a cheap foul early in the first half (I couldn’t tell what happened on my grainy three-inch screen, but it looked like Green lost the ball and responded by molly-whopping Kav to the ground) and the Flyers took immediate advantage, running off seven straight points before a Tony Mitchell three put Bama on the scoreboard. When Green left it was a tied ballgame, with Green out of commission the Tide never came close to reclaiming the lead.

To their credit, Dayton came out aggressive and shot an ungodly 61% from the field, 53% from behind the arch. Bama came into the game holding opponents to just over 53 points a game – Dayton passed that mark with thirteen minutes left in the game. After some full-court pressure and a zone look on defense, Alabama closed the margin to four points, 57-53, with 7:38 on the clock. Back-to-back Kevin Dillard threes pushed the lead back to ten, and the Flyers were never in any danger from that point forward.

Dillard played an excellent all-around game, finishing with 14 points, 6 assists and 8 rebounds. Dillard is the Greg Jennings of this squad; he puts the team on his back, FUCK YOU GUMBY!, when he absolutely has to. His biggest asset is his ability not to shrink in the big moment. Dillard’s play down the stretch is what makes him an invaluable asset to this year’s team – he’s the one guy with big, hairy, brass balls. However, credit has to be given to Josh Parker, who played his best game in recent memory. JP scored 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting (3-of-5 from three) and didn’t have a single turnover. Parker won’t play a better game the rest of his life.

Defensively, UD played skillfully, keeping Bama’s transition opportunities to a minimum. Alabama’s offense looked more like Dayton’s in its recent form, settling for threes and jumpers, rarely getting a second shot during a possession. The Tide shot just 25% from three and outside of Trevor Releford, got next to nothing from their backcourt. By the time Anthony Grant finally figured out a way to counter UD’s attack, it was all over but the shouting. Chris Johnson had five consecutive points and Paul Williams served up a dagger from the Danger Zone in the game’s waning minutes to put the game on ice. CJ played almost flawlessly, hitting for 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting. 

Luke Fabrizius? He really doesn’t need to play anymore, does he? Give his minutes to the Big Frog, when he gets recovers from his mystery ailment, and move on from this tire-fire. Like a high-school girl with small breasts, Luke really needs to justify his existence. Devin Oliver turned in an equally horrific performance, turning the ball over four times in only seven minutes of play. Oliver appeared to be making some strides lately; tonight’s effort was a colossal disappointment.

I think I speak for all of us, without permission or prompting, when I say we have no idea what type of effort to expect game in and game out. The fact that a team could lay two spoiled eggs against Buffalo (in the Decibel Dungeon no less!?!?!) and Murray State, and then go out and dominate Alabama would cause Stephen Hawking’s automaton brain to liquefy. There’s absolutely no making sense of it. We have to accept that another UD basketball season is going to unfold in a completely consistently inconsistent manner. Did that make sense? Fuck no, but either does this season. Boom, mind blown, paints ruined, you’re welcome.