FlyingElvis

Ugh. We've got to get some close games to go our way in order to make the dance. We have had our chances to make it happen and missed often this year.

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"US Bank Arena can't be that bad"

sheg

4 points total in 3 losses (and 10 in the other). Last second shots to win all three. Sigh.

bprichard

Ah, to be a Flyer fan. I'd write some poetry about it, but I'm too busy soaking my sorrows in booze and lighting them on fire.

TheCobra

See, DarkFlyer? Last night wouldn't have been nearly as painful if I hadn't convinced myself we were NCAA bound.

DarkFlyer

Yes, Flyer Pain(TM) would not exist without wildly optimistic expectations. I envy you, your Flyer Joy will far surpass mine when/if the time comes.

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In Dillard we trust.

FlyingElvis

What a way to begin the A10 schedule this week. @VCU on Wednesday and then Butler @ home. This should be a very entertaining week. I hope we are ready for this challenge.

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"US Bank Arena can't be that bad"

bprichard

The UD-VCU tilt should be highly entertaining. Dayton excels against teams who like to push the pace, but VCU does it better than pretty much anyone. They're going to run KD ragged. If we can avoid turnovers, we're in good shape, but easier said than done.

AdamtheFlyer

Dayton has been really good against the press all season, leading to some rather entertaining dunk/layup lines. VCU's press is another animal, and they follow that up with relentless half-court pressure, too. This game is funny. It wouldn't shock me at all if Dayton wins, and it wouldn't shock me at all if they lose by 30.

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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.

TheCobra

Like our entire season, this game is going to come down to the play of Kevin Dillard. If he can exploit the pressure for points, we will be in pretty good shape. But he is going to need plenty of help handling the ball from Vee, Pierre, Oliver, and Price. Can't hesitate in this game or the window of opportunity will close up on you.

What is the perimeter defender on VCU's name who is supposed to be excellent? I imagine he will match up with Dillard in the half court.

FlyingElvis

I want to see Vee Sanford get very aggressive when teams focus their defense on Dillard. I think he is just as good at creating scoring opportunities for himself. He can punish teams for throwing two guys at Dillard.

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"US Bank Arena can't be that bad"

TheCobra

Good point, Elvis. We saw some of that last night. He is really coming into his own.

Flyer75

I'll take a 1-1 split over VCU/Butler and be pretty happy about it. I don't see us winning both with how inconsistent we've been. VCU is going to be pumped for us, we'll be pumped for a ranked Butler team coming in. Arena should be a mad house for that game.

paulxu

75, what the heck is going on. Archie isn't even through his second year, and the long knives are out at BR and Pride.
I sure don't want you busting the streak this year, but some of those long time posters have gone off the deep end just a little. I'm not talking the usual suspects, but some guys I have often found reasonable about college bball are sounding a little crazy.

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...he went up late, and I was already up there.

TheCobra

You certainly aren't wrong, Paul. Tensions are high in Flyerland right now. But, also, Paul, with all due respect, do you know how it feels for your team to lose the first 3 games of a conference season? Sadly, you probably don't. Take my word for it: its not fun.

Obviously, a lot of people are pointing at Archie. While I don't agree with them, their opinion isn't without basis because of what I perceive to be the two biggest weaknesses of this team recently: turnovers and end-of-game performance. Those are issues that people can easily relate to coaching. 62 turnovers in three games. That is crazy, and it is resulting from people being non-chalant with the ball. Also, at the end of games, we have no creativity. Our last second shot plays have been bad all year. Basically, let Dillard try to drive.

But, I am not yet blaming Archie. He has brought in great talent already, and I like his philosophy of instilling confidence in his players instead of trying to restrict them. I am directing my venom at the upperclassmen, who are playing selfish, stupid basketball right now.

bprichard

Flyer fans always sound crazy (me included), but, damn, I'm not turning on Archie already. Being 0-3 in conference sucks. Losing every close game we're in sucks. We're staring another mediocre season in the face, but we have a bunch of solid freshmen and a good class coming in. Breathe in, breathe out.