Podcast: Towson Fall Out

After narrowly beating a bad Towson team, the sky is falling here at UD FlyerNation. Tim tells you what it will take for the Flyers to get an at-large bid, Secaur compares Marcus Johnson to Jim Furyk, and we both speculate on the return of Rob Lowery. Plus much much more...

Listen to the latest podcast here.

Your Requisite Towson Recap

The University of Dayton Flyers played one of those classic "get healthy" games that all teams need from time to time during a season. A vastly inferior opponent + at home + coming off a tough loss or two = a recipe for a blowout win and a much needed confidence boost. The Towson Tigers, however, did not receive the memo on this. They gave your Flyers everything they wanted and then some this afternoon.

In the end, UD managed - and I'm still not totally sure how - to squeak out a 74-69 win. Honestly I feel worse after this game than I did after both the 'Nova and K-State losses. Letting a piss poor Towson team dominate you for 30 minutes only to turn it on with ten to play and eek out a victory is just asking for trouble. Games like these make you glad nobody outside the Miami Valley actually watches the Flyers play. I have no idea what emotion to feel right now. Anger? Relief? Disbelief? Here's a schizophrenic recap:

• Mickey, Marcus, CJ, Wright and Kurt started the game. Chris Johnson got the nod because of his play in San Juan, Mickey because LW was late to a meeting this week.
• Remember when the Flyers were a team renowned for their defense? When any bucket against that stout D was cause for celebration from an opponent? Not anymore, folks. TU came in shooting 28% from deep only to go 4-5 to start the game and 9-14 in the first half from downtown. Even after missing a bunch of desperation 3-pointers late, the Tigers still shot over 50% from three for the game. At one point in the second half, Larry H said Towson was shooting 75% from the field for the half. I honestly think this was more a case of them crapping the bed than UD storming back and winning it.
• Is there a difference between a two-fisted jam and a two-handed one? Larry kept saying two-fisted, which sounds dirty.
• Bucky's ability to identify a defense is just plain comical at this point. He gets it wrong more often than right anymore. You know your broadcast team is solid when they can't even agree if your opponent is Towson or Towson State.
• At what point does Chris Wright outgrow the "catch the ball and take two steps before dribbling" move? It was cute when he was a freshman, now it's just annoying.
• Trailing by as much as 18 to Towson is straight up embarrassing. Right now, this team is on the NIT bubble.
• Watching UD play so far this year has been painful, and it's not just because they fall behind every game. The play is so sloppy and full of turnovers (again, the last ten minutes notwithstanding) that the games never seem to have any rhythm. Against K-State, I chalked it up to the number of fouls called. Not this time, though, it was just a matter of poor play.
• London Warren played like ass today. Let's hope it's his sore back and not something more serious. With no Lowery, he becomes one of, if not the, most valuable guys on this team.
• Right now Marcus Johnson couldn't throw the ball in the ocean while standing on a beach in Puerto Rico. Normally, I'd say it's a slump and that he's a senior and will work his way out of it. The problem, however, is that London already can't shoot to save his life and UD's 5 spot is no threat to score either. With MJ slumping, this means the other team only has to defend TWO guys. I don't care how outmatched you are athletically, five guys can stop two from scoring all day every day.
• HOWEVER, the turning point came when Towson missed a wide open three and Marcus grabbed the board. He took it coast to coast for the and-1. The made free throw finally got the deficit back to single digits. After a Tigers bucket, Mickey and CJ then hit back-to-back threes to cut it to five. That was the first time I actually let myself think UD would win since late in the first half.
• Nice reminder that Mickey Perry is a SG playing out of position. He knocked down two huge 3-balls when UD was making its big push.
• How about not one but two passes that didn't come within 15 feet of a teammate? That's how you completely dominate a game for the first 30 minutes and still find a way to lose. Thank you, Towson, thank you much.
• CJ's three to give the Flyers the lead was huge. You think he'll go pro after this season? P-Will's three on the ensuing possession was arguably just as big. That kid deserves to be in games during crunch time. Plus, I'm pretty sure he missed that last FT on purpose just so UD could be perfect in games decided by five points or less.
• From 62-45 down with 10:00 to play, UD closed the game on a 29-7 run. Big time finish.
• CW's line: 20 points on 5-7 from the field and 10-11 from the line and 9 boards. Ah, if only the Puerto Rico Tip-Off was played at UD Arena.
• Chris and Marcus combined for 8-20 shooting and 3-9 from three. Thing is, it was waaaaay worse until both hit a couple key buckets down the stretch. If those two are going to take almost 40% of the team's shots, UD's going to need more out of them than it got this afternoon.
• Time for me to ask Tim if he's ready to concede a loss on our preseason point/counterpoint article.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to try to find someone to punch me in the stomach so I'll start feeling better.

Just Flyers being Flyers

Kettering Hospital must treat more heart related illness than anywhere in the country. Why must the Flyers torture us like this? Why must they bring us such pain after maximizing joy? Why must they turn around, maximize said pain only to in the end bring us joy?

Hopefully someone has a formula for this.

Much more to come on this game later - after heart surgery.

Paradise Lost

First thing's first, a recap of the action in Puerto Rico almost 72 hours after it ended is weak. I grant you that, and I apologize. Full refunds for all of our readers. But sometimes in life you find yourself with the following dilemma: Stay out until 6:00 AM drinking, gambling, and who knows what else in a city you know nothing about and will likely never be in again OR go back to the hotel room and blog up a storm. When I found myself drunk as a skunk and searching for a cab in a dangerous looking part of San Juan as the sun was starting to come up Monday morning, I could tell I'd made the right choice.

I was trying to think of who or what to blame for UD's 1-2 record in Puerto Rico, and I could find only one culprit: AC/DC. Confused? Well it's all too obvious if you think about it, my young friends. See, you probably noticed that games in this tournament were on Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. No Saturday games? What gives? The reason for no Saturday games was that the Coliseo Puerto Rico had been booked for a concert by none other than AC/DC. On the surface, this seemed great because it gave the fans on the trip an extra day of vacation. But I now firmly believe AC/DC cost the Flyers a W against K-State.

In the first half of the KSU game, UD put on one of the all-time lackluster performances I've seen in my time following the team. It looked like a team on vacation ... one which had been enjoying a little fun in the sun, playing blackjack in the hotel casino, visiting Mickey Perry's mom, or even was already on Thanksgiving break. The Flyers did what they've done in three out of four games now and dug themsleves an early hole (trailing by as much as 15 at one point). Only against Creighton were the Flyers able to come back and get a win.

It looked to me like Villanova was just a better team than UD. Though I don't think Dayton matched up particularly well with KSU, I'm not sold that the Wildcats are the better squad. I think if this game is played on Saturday with a focused Flyers team, the outcome might be a little different.

As far as the games go, the free throw and outside shooting were abysmal. How a team of scholarship Division I athletes cannot make two out of three free throws on a consistent basis is still beyond me. 104 of UD's 232 field goal attempts have been threes; opponents of the Flyers have taken 64 in 214 attempts. And UD is the team that CAN'T shoot. I wish it had taken ten games to get to 104 3-pointers attempted.

Does Dayton practice its offensive sets against a live defense? Obviously I'm not the first person to ask the question, but I'm actually serious. How many lazy, telegraphed passes did this team throw over the weekend? Those who watched the games on TV, could you tell where every dribble/pass was going before it happened like we could in the gym? It's one thing to have turnovers; they're inevitable. It's another thing to watch a team full of upperclassmen lob lazy pass after lazy pass and watch those TO's turn into dunks and lay-ups on the other end.

Not sure about you, but I envision a practice where the Flyers run plays against no defense for a half hour scoring bucket after uncontested bucket. Then they break out into two groups. One of the groups has a dunk contest (in lieu of practicing free throws) while the other group is just Luke Fab on the other end of the floor bombing 30-footers while the walk-ons chase down his rebounds.

K-State's guards got absolutely worked by Ole Miss on Friday. I think Pullen and Clemente had something to prove on Sunday and they took it out on the Flyers.

At halftime of the game, the braintrust from the Puerto Rico Tip-Off was charged to select two fans to shoot against one another in a free throw contest. They picked the loudest and most obnoxious-looking fan from each team's representation. Naturally, Tim was chosen. He went out on the court and proved he was a true Flyer by missing two free throws. The Wildcat fan, who looked like he was barely sober enough to stand, followed suit so I suppose the contest ended in a draw.

K-State's students represented hard. I have never felt better about a possibly crushing loss than I did about 15 minutes after the end of that game. Those dudes came to P.R. to party and accomplished their goal. I know it means absolutely nothing, but they made four dudes from Ohio into KSU fans - and not just because it'll help the Flyers in the RPI.

Not going out on a huge limb when I say the Flyers get healthy with a blowout win over Towson. But did you ever think the Miami game would be this important? A loss there would drop UD to 3-3 and possbily cripple its chances for at-large bid come March. Welcome to fandom of a mid-major team with a razor thin margin for error. I have a feeling the roller coaster ride that will be the 2009-'10 season has only just begun.

Day Off in San Juan

Saturday is a day off for us (and boy did we work hard to earn it). Yesterday we (there are four of total - two buddies who are both UD class of '07 and Tim and I) drank an entire bottle of rum at the hotel pool before the Flyers game. This is noteworthy for two reasons:

1) As we were quite literally pouring our last drink from the bottle, one of the hotel employees came over and told us there was no drinking in the pool area. We begged to differ using the previous hour and a half as evidence.

2) I'm trying to party like I did in college and failing quite miserably. I really can't drink liquor anymore, and I'm only 25, which means I'm pathetic. It also means I don't remember yesterday's game against 'Nova in much detail. Flyers got down big, mounted a furious comeback late and fell just short. Luke Fab played well, Marcus Johnson needs to channel Stella and soon, the better team won, but it was an encouraging effort from our Flyers. Love that this team never says die even if it didn't squeak out a W yesterday afternoon.

Friend of the blog Glen Rice was kind enough to pose for a picture with me as GT was closing out a win against Mason. That will be my new profile picture on facebook on Monday. (And yes, I'm THAT guy.)

There is a happy hour during games at the arena here in PR. During games! Three dollar Coors Lights during halftime only. Our crew bought two apiece, walked down to our seats, set them down and immediately bought two more. If you want to get people from Dayton, Ohio, to spend their money, have a happy hour during halftime of a UD game.

We've been asking different local people where to go and what to do in San Juan, and at least four have recommended a strip club called Frenchy's. Now, I see three options here:

a) Frenchy's is the best strip club on the entire island, if not the planet.

b) Puerto Rican people think that all Americans love to go to strip clubs.

c) We just look like a bunch of perverts.

It's probably C. We haven't been there ... yet.

Went to a bar in old San Juan last night. They noticed four Gringos in there, and what song did they play for us? The electric slide. Puerto Ricans actually think Americans dance to that song. The kicker was when they played the local version of the electric slide. The dance steps are the same, but the music most definitely is not.

There was also a congo line featuring someone from the bar pouring shots of some unknown liquor concoction straight into our mouths. From what I recall, it was delicious.

Today we split our time between the beach (it looks nothing like the picture above, but still) and the pool. Tim said it best; this place is absolutely paradise. I said I wanted to buy a bar and move here, and I was only kinda joking.

A couple Flyers came to our hotel in the afternoon. Apparently, Mickey Perry's mom is staying here, and Mickey, London and Paul Williams came to see visit her. P-Will was playing a couple hands of blackjack and LW was just wandering aimlessly around the casino.

More updates to come tomorrow before, during or after K-State. We plan on doing a super sweet podcast (as if there were any other time) when we get back to the mainland and recuperate. Keep it tuned here in the meantime.

VillanOVER

So we have our third must win game of our four game season Sunday. Am I dramatic or is that actually true? Vote on the poll.

The Game
Well, we lost. I’m not gonna talk a lot about it because I’m still in the “I’m pissed off” zone. Maybe Secaur will give a rundown later. However I do have a few bullets.

*We need to get buckets when we needed them and we didn’t. Did that make sense? The first ten minutes of the second half were brutal. When you play the #5 team in the country, you cannot wait until the last five minutes to make your run.

*Nova is a solid squad. We spoke with an older gentleman in front of us from NY who remembered a man named Arlen Bockhorn playing in Madison Square Garden. I pointed out Buckey for him sitting next to Larry across the court. He liked it.

*In general, Nova fans were nice. I commented in the bathroom, to a priest, that we both hate Jesuits. He laughed. You can't beat a good priest joke ... ever.

*That last run was nice. Swing of the game for me was when CJ missed that three and they scored on the next possession. Not sure of the timing, maybe around two minutes left to go. Needed that one and badly.

*Luke haters, where are you? We don't win without him yesterday and we aren't close today if he's not on the floor. Is it just cool to hate on the kid, even if he does well? BG had him on the floor in the final minutes of the game at the 5 over Kurt - look for that to be a trend, especially if we're down.

OK, game analysis is over, time for sweet stuff that happened in PR.

*We ask the bartender where we should go for the night, and he told us about a bar called Lupis. Naturally we ask directions and he gives us the following answer: “You go up two blocks and take a right, and about one block after the cock fighting arena you’ll see it”.

Your reaction reading that was this same as ours. Ummm, COCK FIGHING ARENA?!?! Seriously?!? We then asked him for the details and we’re determined to place a hefty wager on the finest cock in Puerto Rico (take it easy, perverts). Not really sure if “our type” are welcome inside Cock Fighting Stadium but we’re ready to test the waters. They fight tomorrow and we’ll be there.


*So yesterday we played Ga. Tech. You remember when Favors missed the free throw early in the first half? During his free throws I was screaming, and I mean screaming at him about how he was too concerned about the NBA draft. I was asking, “What pick are you Favors? Too concerned about the draft, Favors?” His mother was not happy with me in the least bit. She turned around, looked me in the eye and screamed in my face, “SPOT HATIN'!! STOP HATIN'!!!” When Favors (and his mother) are rich, I guess I’ll have a story to tell.

*UD students, weak effort. Kansas State has about 15 dudes who just rock and roll every night. They’ve skipped class (before they even knew what classes they were taking) so that they could rock out in San Juan. It’s a giant sausage fest but it’s freaking hilarious. I’m now a Kansas State fan unless we play them.

*There really aren’t rules in Puerto Rico. Seriously. You can drive wherever you want without consequence of traffic offenses. Traffic rules here are suggestions only. Drinking beer in the cab is not frowned upon. No meters in the cab, all prices are negotiable. Drinking/gambling age is 18 (more to come on this next). This place is Paradise.

*We found out last night that an individual can drink and gamble here when they are 18 years of age. When my parents were calling other parents to make sure they supervised me at an overnight party, I could have been drinking and gambling in Puerto Rico. I guess I was doing that anyway, minus the Puerto Rico part, however I regret never taking advantage of an underage vacation here.

*I was really loud at the game tonight. My brother texted me to say that he could hear, “Call the charge both ways, sir” on the radio broadcast. Larry and Bucky were sitting cross court from me so I was proud. At halftime I was complimented/insulted by several Villanova fans about my antics. One lady said, “You are loud, we don’t’ like you, but we wish we had a fan like you here tonight.” Greatest compliment I’ve ever had in my life. I'm a Bengals fan and it's kinda how I feel about Hines Ward.

*Good night at the craps table last night for UDFlyerNation.

*We’re still looking for Blackburn and Fieldhouse. We’re thinking of having a blog party, just as long is it doesn’t sound like any of Blackburn’s podcasts. I’m guessing the party would be filled with awkward conversation of Ray wondering why he’s the best writer while Blackburn wonders why most readers are offended by everything on his blog. Advantage still stays with UDFlyerNation.blogspot.com

UD - Ga Tech Recap

Greetings again from Puerto Rico. In case you were wondering, 85 and sunny here this afternoon and it felt even hotter with humidity. Just thought our Ohio readers might like to know.

We are, at present, sitting in the hotel lobby/bar enjoying two hours of free drinks. Dayton fans and free alcohol = a recipe for trouble. I'm pretty sure the employee who came up with this idea has already been terminated. Now, if I can put down my rum and Coke long enough, some thoughts on today's W over Ga Tech.

*Absolutely had to have this game, and the Flyers got it. I'm still not entirely sure how it happened, but they got the job done. With this team it is rarely, if ever, pretty, but we'll take it.

*Can't say enough about P-Will's play down the stretch. Seven points in the final minute of the game, including a huge go-ahead 3 and 4-4 from the foul line. Great poise out of a kid who's only a sophomore.

*Speaking of sophomores, Chris Johnson with 19 points and 7 boards. Team high in both. Ho hum.

*I thought this was a great game, especially the last ten minutes of it. UD fans to put the Ga Tech supporters to shame. This may be an exagerration, but it seemed like there was about a 10:1 ratio in our favor. The Flyer fans wanted this win badly too, and I'm happy to say they got it.

*If I told you that Chris Wright would have 7 points and 6 turnovers and MJ would have no points, 5 turnovers and 4 fouls and the Flyers still win, you'd have called me crazy.

*Luke Fab - 4-7 from 3, 12 points in just 7 minutes of play. The problem remains that BG just can't play him down the stretch in close games because of his D. Not complaining though because his and CJ's 3-point shooting (8-15 combined) won this game (along with P-Will's clutch play down the stretch) for the good guys.

*Turnovers have the potential to absolutely kill this team. Six from CW, 5 Marcus, 4 Mickey Perry (who played awfully by the way). Can't have that from your upperclassmen. Luckily for the Flyers, GT turned it over a whopping 26 times.

*You think BG was sending Benson a message when we saw Kav not once, but during two different stints in the first half?

*Favors is gonna be nasty, but he's still a freshman. He didn't seem to be aware of who was guarding him at different times. Twice he took turnaround and/or fadeaway jumpers when Luke Fab was guarding him. I guess he didn't know he could have just taken one power drill and went up and dunked on him.

*Kurt played solid. 1-1 from the field and it looked like a solid post move. Five boards including two on the offensive end. And one major mental blunder. Saving that ball underneath your own hoop and basically gifting the Jackets a dunk is unforgiveable. Good thing it didn't come back to bite UD hard.

*My buddy Scott and I were walking up toward the concourse at halftime when he looked at me and said ,"Is that Glen Rice?" It turns out that it was, and he was on hand to watch his son (Glen Rice Jr.), who plays for Ga Tech. Scott and I actually went up and talked to him for three or four minutes during halftime. (Yeah, we're those guys.) He was genuinely a nice guy and really hid his digust for having to talk to two white kids from the Ohio really well. He also had a smoking hot broad on his arm who looked to be about 15 years his junior.

When we got back to our seats, I told Tim about the encounter. His response: "You know why he was happy to talk to you? Because nobody's recognized him in five years." I'd argue with that if I could. My only regret is that I didn't tell him how awesome he was on NBA Jam.

UD 63 - GT 59. Bring on 'Nova (who squeaked past George Mason by a single point) tomorrow.