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Home > Blogs > Flyer Connection: University of Dayton sports > Archives > 2009 > February > 16 > Entry
Flyers have week to prepare for Saint Louis
UD basketball: The Week Ahead
Game: at Saint Louis (15-10, 6-5) at 8 p.m. Saturday (Channel 7)
UD has just one game this week. Each A-10 team is supposed to have two weeks without a weekday game, but playing four times in the Chicago Invitational Challenge wiped out the Flyers’ break in the non-league season.
Scouting Saint Louis: The Billikens are coming off a 69-61 loss at Rhode Island on Saturday, snapping a four-game winning streak. Freshman Kwamain Mitchell led the Billikens with 17 points. They dropped a 47-46 decision at Dayton on Jan. 29 but had the ball in the waning seconds with a chance to win. Mitchell missed a driving lay-up with three ticks left to allow UD to escape.
Going into the Rhode Island game, Saint Louis coach Rick Majerus said: “Of all the games we won, the best game we played was Dayton and we lost…. We played very, very well and if you keep playing well, eventually you’re going to win.”
Saint Louis was ranked 16th nationally in scoring defense going into the Rhode Island game, allowing 59.1 points.
UD-Richmond notes: The Flyers had four three-point plays (the old-fashioned kind): one each by Chris Wright, Marcus Johnson, Kurt Huelsman and Charles Little. They could have had three more, but Devin Searcy, London Warren and Wright couldn’t convert their free throws.
• UD needs three more victories to tie the school record for consecutive home wins at 21 in a row. The record was set over two seasons from 1959-61.
• In their first game without back-up point guard Rob Lowery, the Flyers upped starter London Warren’s playing time, and he responded with one of his best games of the season: 10 points, six assists, one turnover in 24 minutes.
Stephen Thomas played 16 minutes and had a decent stat line: four points, two assists and no turnovers.
Xavier recap: Brian Gregory finally got what he’s been wanting against Xavier last Wednesday: a fair fight.
The UD coach pointed out that injuries have impacted the rivalry during his tenure — for both sides.
The Flyers had dropped six straight to the Musketeers the last two years before pulling out a 71-58 win in the first meeting this season. But forward Chris Wright missed all three games last year because of a fractured ankle, and forward Charles Little also missed one of the three with a broken bone in his foot.
In 2006-07, forward Monty Scott missed a regular-season game with the Musketeers because of a knee injury, and guard Marcus Johnson joined Scott on the sidelines when the teams met in the Atlantic 10 tourney because of an ankle sprain.
Xavier also has had its share of ailments. Forward Brian Thornton missed UD’s 66-62 win in 2005-06 with an ankle injury, and forward Josh Duncan sat out one of the games two years ago because of a sprained ankle.
“The thing I was excited about was that it was the first time in a long time both teams were completely healthy, and we’d see how the teams stacked up when they had all their players,” Gregory said.
“You saw a great game. You saw two realy good teams playing extremely hard, and our guys applied great pressure and kept their poise on offense.”
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Comments
By FaithfulFlyer65
February 16, 2009 7:48 AM | Link to this
Every game left in UD’s schedule is a potential loss. Away games at Rhode Island and Xavier will be very difficult to win, and they only beat St. Louis by 1 at home, so expect that game to be a battle. Temple is playing as good as any A-10 team right now and could easily beat Dayton. They key for the Flyers will be playing with intensity and the guard play. If Warren and Thomas continue to play like they did against Richmond and not take risks with the ball (a combined 1 turnover against Richmond), UD has as good a chance of winning all of their remaining games as losing them. Maintain your focus Flyers and don’t give up the respect you’ve taken all season to earn in the last 5 games.
By Herman
February 16, 2009 7:48 AM | Link to this
We should beat St Louis by at least 20. Good teams don’t lose to Detroit, STL is god awful.
By the rosser
February 16, 2009 8:41 AM | Link to this
Just hope we see the Flyers in the Top 25 very soon (just hours from now)and that they take pride in what they have unexpectantly accomplished as a young team this season. They definitely have what it takes to get past the Billikens, and, given the way things have gone this year, I think it’s best to take one game at a time. Go Flyers!!!
By Critic #1
February 16, 2009 9:32 AM | Link to this
Anyone who watches them play has to love this Dayton team. They’re sloppy, make mistakes, miss free throws,etc., but they play so hard and with so much intensity that you have to pull for them. I really don’t see how they will beat Rhode Island and Xavier on the road and Temple, even at home, will be a difficult game to win. That means St. Louis and the Dukes are must win games. That said, they really need to focus hard on playing one game at a time, and make every possession in every game count (take care of the ball). Making some free throws would also help. I’m a critic, but I’ll be rooting for them in every game because this Flyer team and Coach Gregory have earned my respect.
By BitterFan
February 16, 2009 1:22 PM | Link to this
Unfortunately, UD is not ranked (again) as though the X game never even happened. This year’s slighting of the Flyers at the hands of the polls should be the strongest proof that this system is flawed. I understand that our strength of schedule is poor (123), but Butler who is 14th has an SOS of 100, so that isn’t the only excuse. More likely is the problem that the people who vote don’t ever see the Flyers because of the monopoly that ESPN has on the airwaves. It is repulsive and there is no end to it in sight, especially as an overwhelming majority of the pollsters and fans in general think that ESPN is actually good at what it does. Hope everyone likes the Big East because if ESPN had its druthers that is all we would ever see. What does UD have to do?
By Chris
February 16, 2009 3:13 PM | Link to this
To Bitterfan - your observation of lack of publicity is valid, however the problem isnt so much ESPN as the A10. The A10’s recent television contract is abyssmal. Several markets have sold much of their airtime to FOX and CBS. ESPN has rights to only a few games a year. The new A10 commissioner recently commented that she wants to renegotiate our (the A10’s) television contract. I think this would be an excellent idea. She has made great strides already in that starting in 2010, the A10 championship game will be broadcast selection Sunday on CBS. But we need to renegotiate our regular season television contract. If nothing else, get the A10 on the FullCourt package. I think we will see a move like this in the next few years. It really is a shame that the contract prevents high-quality basketball such as is played by (at least the top half of) the A10 from being broadcast more frequently. On a positive note, your post was slightly premature, we have cracked the top 25 of the AP.
By UDJoe
February 16, 2009 7:40 PM | Link to this
As a first step, we need to get out of the A10. I’m sick and tired of reading how good the A10 is. The A10 is a two team conference, UD and X. Try to name one other team that is decent. St Louis sucks… Fordam sucks… St Bonnie sucks… Charlotte sucks… St Joes is decent… Temple is decent… UMass sucks… the list goes on. We need out of this god awful conference. We are not even an Atlantic school. Get out now and get into the Big East.
By sec 312
February 17, 2009 8:55 AM | Link to this
you are not a history major are you Joe?
By cj
February 18, 2009 5:36 PM | Link to this
Just pack the truck up and move huh UD Joe? The big east wouldn’t think of taking in Dayton. What about Rhode Island making the final 4? Shut your pie hole buddy!
By seo lace
May 2, 2010 2:13 PM | Link to this
I cazn’t read your paeg in Safari 2.3, I jsut fiured would tell youu about it?