Exhibition Game #2: The Norse

Some Division I college basketball players come into a program, underperform from day one and prove to be a tremendous disappointment. Still others are over-recruited and never should have been brought in in the first place. Eventually, those player are given their walking papers so that scholarship can be used by someone who is not a complete waste of a roster spot. There is place these players go when this occurs. That place? Northern Kentucky University.

Our very own Dayton Flyers scheduled an exhibition game with James Cripe's alma mater Monday night. The Flyers managed a 71-61 win. I watched the game, and here are some thoughts in bullet point form.

• London, Perry, Chris Johnson, Searcy and Huelsman started the game. Larry H. tells us that Wright and Marcus Johnson were on the bench not because of the very minor injuries that kept them out of the Ferris State game, but because -- in Brian Gregory's system -- you "have to earn your job back."
• Flyer TV has the technology to produce a live event? And on location, to boot? I'm furious that this capability did not exist when I was an undergrad.
• On the alley-oop to Searcy, there was an NKU defender underneath. London threw it up there anyway, and Searcy went up and got it. Nasty. Later in the first half, Searcy hit a wide open 14-footer on the baseline; that's a good sign. Bucky called it the "toughest shot in all of basketball;" that's not a good sign.
• Luke Fab's first three was such a brick that it almost got wedged in between the backboard and rim.
• About 12 minutes in, I found myself googling Scott Bibbins. He is not a D-I transfer (read: reject), but rather an NKU lifer. Still trying to decide what's worse.
• LW took a shot with one foot on the three-point line and almost banked it. That's about enough of that.
• Late in the first half, I think NKU had cut the Flyers lead to 35-32 (wasn't paying that much attention). Then UD answered with six straight down the stretch to extend the lead back to nine. It would've been an 8-0 run had C. Johnson's tip-in with 0.4 to go counted. The follow-up was ridiculous and it didn't look like an over-the-back foul when I saw it live. The Flyers led 41-34 at the half.
• I thought the defensive intensity in the second half went way up, which was good to see. A couple of steals led to back-to-back breakaway dunks for UD early in the period.
• The technical foul on MJ for hanging on the rim was a joke. So was the intentional foul called on NKU against Searcy.
• I'd be shocked if Chris Johnson doesn't lead this team in offensive rebounding.
• Anybody else's video feed keep freezing all throughout the second half? Coincidentally, I finally gave up right around the time Monday Night Football started.
• Eleven points and five boards in 22 minutes of action from Wright is fine. 3-10 FG shooting is a big worrisome though.
• Mickey Perry looked really good in the first half (8 pts, 4 rebs, 2 assts, 0 turnovers). If he can put up that kind of line per game, I'd be thrilled.
• Kavanaugh tied for a team high in rebounds with five in just seven minutes. Huelsman had two in 19 mins. Kav is a frosh and will experience growing pains all year but he's going to be just fine.
• Nine assists to just one turnover from London? Yessir.
• After the Flyers shot 5-9 from three and 6-7 at the line in the first half, I was encouraged. But I still don't think this is a very good 3-point shooting team. 15-18 FT shooting is something you have to like though.
• A ten point win over a D-II school is nothing to do backflips over, but it was a fine performance. The formula is there: stifling defense and get out in transition.
• It feels weird how much the Creighton game and the P.R. trip seem to mean. I always get nervous when games in November seem to take on this much importance.
• Check out the blog all week as well as the twitter feed (UDFlyers). Look for the next podcast shortly after the Creighton game.