TheCobra

Yeah, its way cooler to not have that type of BCS success, but also not have any NCAA success, like UMass has. It just makes more sense, ya know?

Knobby

Yup I know exactly - but I also don't bring undue attention to it either....

__________________
Well, we were smaller, but at least we were slower!

sheg

You should be thankful for those wins, Knobby. All those out-of-conference wins, some of them marquee wins, have HELPED the A10. UD has won 81% of their OOC games over the last decade, more than all other conference members have contributed (and a lot more than some have). That HELPS the conference as a whole.

That UD has not had post-season success to match their OOC success is a UD problem, not a Knobby (or anyone else affiliated with the A10) problem.

TheCobra

Wait, would it make sense for you to bring attention to your lack of success against bcs teams?

Flyer75

In the 2012-2013 Flyers thread no less.

Knobby

Here's the difference, I do not have an overinflated opinion of my team. The regular season feats of Dayton are decent, in many ways I wish Umass had some of that success, but I don't need Dayton fans to tell me how wonderful their own achievements are. What would be more meaningful is if some non-Dayton fan recognized it - but nobody is really that impressed - meaning that "Muddy's observation" of BCS success really isn't that big a deal to anyone but himself.....

__________________
Well, we were smaller, but at least we were slower!

Flyer75

Well, what the hell would you expect given the title of thread?

sheg

Then stay out of the thread, knob. The anythingthread is about UD, so virtually anything about UD.

When it comes to UD, you are as much of a troll as someone else is about XU. we get it, you don't like ud. Nobody cares what you think of anyone else's ego.

SquidLegs

You just being here shows that you care Knobby. You just being here all the time and sweating over what gets posted next on this thread shows that you really, really care. You won't see that type of concern over a floundering UMass.

Your obsession with the Flyers is the oddest love/hate affair on this board.

__________________
The two homer reasons that Xavier fans are delusional in their evaluation of the Muskies: 1. Byron Larkin 2. Brian Snow

Xaviers Shame:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gpS7PSYWcM

TheCobra

Flyer fans (Knobby feel free to chime in too),

How is everyone feeling about our A10 chances? Its been a bit of a roller coaster non-conference season, but I feel like we should be optimistic about the conference season for various reasons.

1. The league is good, not great. VCU and Butler look stout, and we have them in the first week of the season. If we come out 1-1, we should feel pretty good about that. After these two, there are a bunch of flawed teams: Temple, SLU, Mass, SJU, Richmond, LaSalle, Charlotte, Xavier. None of these guys are world-beaters. I expect LaSalle to be as good or better than any of them. I also expect Dayton to be as good as any of them.

2. The freshman: Price will continue to get better in his role as energy guard off the bench. Pierre is solid, and is ready for A10 play - he is just the type of multi-skilled guy who makes teams tough to guard in conference play. Robinson could really become a force. I think he learned a lot in the Murray game. If he continues to get better, we will hopefully have a big guy who can stand up to the good bigs in the league (Braswell, Riddic, Roberts?).

3. The other new guys: Sanford and Derenbecker are finally comfortable. Derenbecker is out of his slump and has felt the arena erupt after one of his threes - I expect him to be a sharpshooter the rest of the way. Sanford has never really played before, and it showed in early close games. It seems counterintuitive to think that 4th year junior needs "experience," but I think the experience he has gained in the first half of the season was invaluable. He was feeling that "palpable pressure" in UD arena for a while.

4. We got Dillard: Probably the main reason for optimism for me. I still think KD is the best guard in the league. He has had an inconsistent non-league season, but in fairness he has had to adjust to a whole new cast of teammates. When the lights are on, Dillard comes up big. I expect that to be the case throughout the conference season. Hopefully his back is fully recovered.

What do others think? Am I too optimistic? I think we will finish in the top 3 this year.

DarkFlyer

Yes. You are too optimistic. And you haven't learned your lesson that Flyer Pain(TM) is always lurking arounf the next corner.

My impression of the Archie Miller era thus far is that the team generally plays better on the road. However, the two teams have been wildly inconsistent - leading to more home losses. Last year featured a stomping of Temple in Philly and a home loss to Rhode Island.

So, until further notice, expect the Flyers to be 8-8 in the conference.

__________________
In Dillard we trust.

AdamtheFlyer

I certainly wouldn't predict top 3, but this team is capable of finishing that high. Then again, so are about 7 others. It's going to be a 16 game battle.

Dayton has many of the pieces you look for in a league contender. All-League, POY candidate point guard, a really good scoring SG, two solid SFs, and above average post play. They have athletes at every position and a developing bench. In league play there are no secrets, so things like rebounding become paramount. Dayton has two of the better rebounders in the league in Oliver and Robinson. Both are in the top 10 in def rebound % and Robinson is in the top 10 in off rebound % (Oliver is 18th).

It's a matter of putting the pieces together over 16 games. No question that has been a struggle for Dayton over the last 3 seasons. If it happens, they'll be near the top of the standings. If it doesn't, they'll probably be in the 5-7 range. I would be surprised if they came in worse than 7th.

__________________
Sure, I've been called a xenophobe, but the truth is, I'm not. I honestly just feel that America is the best country and the other countries aren't as good. That used to be called patriotism.

Muddy Waters

Preview: Dayton vs. Southern Cal (Doug Harris, DDN - December 29, 2012)

Who: Dayton (9-3) at Southern Cal (4-8)

When: 7 p.m. Sunday

Where: UD Arena (C’mon Douggie – you can do better than that.)

TV/Radio: Pac-12 Network/WHIO 95.7, 1290

Dayton Starters:

Kevin Dillard, 6-0, Sr., G, 15.3 ppg.
Vee Sanford, 6-3, Jr., G, 12.7
Josh Benson, 6-9, Sr., F, 11.0
Devin Oliver, 6-7, Jr., F, 9.9
Dyshawn Pierre, 6-6, Fr., F, 7.3

USC Starters:

Jio Fontan, 6-1, Sr., G, 8.4
Byron Wesley, 6-5, So., G, 9.1
Eric Wise, 6-6, Sr., F, 10.8
Dewayne Dedmon, 7-0, Jr., F, 5.3
Omar Oraby, 7-2, Jr., C, 7.9

About Dayton:

UD is second in the Atlantic 10 in field-goal percentage at 47.0. … Sanford leads the Flyers in foul shooting at 90.0 percent. Only Damon Goodwin (93.1) and Donald Smith (91.0) have shot 90 percent or better for a season at UD. … Oliver is second in the A-10 in rebounding with an 8.6 average. In his last four games, he’s averaged 9.5 points and 10.0 boards. … Sub wing Matt Derenbecker is 13-of-21 from 3-point range over the last four games. He averaged 3.0 points in his first eight games and 10.3 in the last three.

About USC:

The Trojans are prone to cold spells offensively, but opponents are hitting only 41.1 percent and averaging 63.5 points. … They have one of the top point guards in the Pac-12 in Fontan, who transferred from Fordham. He’s averaging 5.3 assists and has an assist-turnover ratio of 1.9-1.0. He averaged 15.3 points as a freshman at Fordham and made the A-10 all-rookie team in 2008-09. He played in five games as a sophomore before transferring. … USC skyscrapers Dedmon (240 pounds) and Oraby (270) take up space inside. Dedmon has 19 blocks, Oraby 20.

Tourney Talk:

Jerry Palm of CBSSports.com posted an NCAA tournament bracket projection this week and has Dayton as one of four Atlantic 10 teams in the field as a 10 seed. The Flyers are joined by Butler (4 seed), VCU (7) and Temple (8).

__________________

TheCobra

Good point, DarkFlyer. But the Flyer Pain is only Flyer Pain when it comes after delusionally high expectations, so I'm doing my part.

FlyingElvis

The only way I see us doing really well is if we get tougher in the middle. I originally thought we would be good inside, but the loss of Kavanaugh and the the slow start by Gavrilovic have us hurting in the paint. I think that Robinson has the talent to do some very good things for us, but that assumes that he develops a better feel for the game with his 1st half season experience.

__________________
"US Bank Arena can't be that bad"