Week in Review 01.01.10

Every Friday I'll break down the week that was in Flyers basketball, as well as whatever is else is on my mind at the time. It'll be my chance to overreact to the UD's most recent game as well as renege on everything I said in the podcast earlier in the given week. Or, at the very least, it will give you something distracting to read when you should be working on a Friday.

Holiday Hiatus
Loyal readers may have noticed our output here at UD FlyerNation has come to a screeching hault in the past week or so. We apologize for that; the holiday season is an eventful one for all of us. Tim was out of town for a few days spending time with family, and I was busy trying to pack on 20 extra pounds in a three week span. (Fell juuuuuust short.)

Anyway, we promise bigger and better things in 2010. More posts, more podcasts, more interviews, more swag. Hell, Internet legend Rick Scaia might even grace us with his presence.

A New Year
I've heard a lot lately about what people are going to call this new year i.e. "Twenty-Ten" versus "Two Thousand Ten." To answer your first question, yes, the people I work with and am friends with are that boring. Secondly, let me go on record as being firmly in the twenty-ten camp. I'm sick and tired of "two thousand and whatever."

New Mexico Tonight
Yeah, I didn't watch the Boston game. From everything I've heard and read it sounds like the Flyers played a pretty solid game all around. Obviously, the big story was Rob Lowery's 23 points on 7-9 from beyond the arc.

I think Rob Low is one of two keys to tonight's game for the Flyers. It's not likely that he'll score 23 again, but I think he has to play well for UD to have a chance. The offense is so much more dynamic when Rob's at the point, plus it's just nice to see the other team have to defend all of UD's players instead of just three or four.

The other key for me is the ability to deal with the crowd. It's going to be loud at New Mexico, a notoriously difficult place to play. The Flyers have a history of getting off to slow starts and letting the crowd become a huge factor. If UD can settle into the game early and, at the same time, settle down the home crowd, I think the Flyers have a chance. Otherwise, I think this one could get ugly.

Prediction: Dayton has played only two road games this season against teams with a combined record of 9-15. To say this is the team's first true road test would be a huge understatement. No Luke Fab, Marcus Johnson not playing well, not sure how many minutes Chris Johnson can go ... add it all up and it doesn't sound great for the good guys. I'm going with New Mex by a baker's dozen.

Friendly Advice
A word to our younger readers out there. Don't ever get a job in a media industry, specifically radio or television. It sounds like a great idea until one day you find yourself at work at 1:00 on New Year's Day writing a long-winded, half coherent blog post, watching the Outback Bowl out of the corner of your eye and not paying attention to the work you're supposed to be doing.

BCS Time
As promised, here are your BCS bowl picks. Keep in mind I'm an SEC homer and I hate the Big Ten.

Oregon (-4) over Ohio State
Total hater pick here. I like Ohio State's defense and I like the fact that no one is giving the Buckeyes a chance. But it's been so long since anyone in the Big Ten has won a big game that I can't pick 'em. Ducks by a TD.

Florida (-13) over Cincinnati
Sucker's bet because the spread is so high. The Gators could easily get up by 17-21 points and then take their foot off the gas and let UC lose by only 10 points or so. I'm still taking Florida because there's no way UC can stop the run tonight.

Boise State (+7.5) over TCU
Because I gotta pick one underdog, I'm taking Boise to lose the game but still cover the spread.

Georgia Tech (-4) over Iowa
Because the Big Ten is a fraud.

Alabama (-4) over Texas
Bama should be a 14-point favorite minimum.

Enjoy the games today and Happy New Year fools.