Dayton

GameNight: Dayton at Marquette

Blake Hofstad — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 15:17:33 -0500

Start: Nov 29 2008 - 8:00pm

Preview & Prediction: By Blake Hofstad

Dayton (5-0) is one of a slew of teams in contention in the Atlantic-10. Xavier has emerged as the top dog with wins over Memphis and Missouri, but a win over #15 Marquette (5-0) would send a message to the Muskies and the rest of the conference that the Flyers are a force to be reckoned with. To get to this game, Dayton had to survive a terrible shooting night (0-24 from 3-point, 20-72 overall) to knock off Auburn in overtime. If they shoot like they did on Friday, Marquette will make them pay. Chris Wright’s injury was a big reason why they missed the NCAA Tournament last year. He is back, and his Flyers look good. Dayton plays tough defense, and if they can contain Marquette’s guard trio, they have a good shot at this one.

The Golden Eagles are led by their three guards, Wesley Matthews, Jerel McNeal and Dominic James. All three can shoot, defend and pass. In the paint. Marquette features Lazar Hayward, who is always a double-double threat. After that, there is a drop-off in talent for the Eagles. There are a lot of solid role players, such as forward David Cubillan, but no real scoring threats. Marquette needs to rely on their Big 4, Hayward, McNeal, James and Matthews, to get it done against a very good defensive team in Dayton.

Ultimately, Marquette has too much talent, with their backcourt proving they are one of the nation’s best. But it won’t be easy, as Wright and Marcus Johnson go off. Dayton regains their shooting touch and makes a furious comeback late.

Winner: Marquette Margin: 1-4

College Basketball: Breakout Stars

CHN — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 00:24:39 -0500

BREAKOUT PLAYERS

CHN writers were asked a simple question: What player is on the verge of becoming a household name? Here’s what our guys had to say.. let us know who you would choose below:

	Chris Wright (Dayton): With Brian Roberts gone, Wright will get plenty of chances to carry the Flyers. A terrific athlete who was one of the most touted recruits to ever sign with Dayton, Wright was limited to 13 games because of injury last year, but he has the talent to be an all-conference player when healthy. Jason Brubaker
	Sherron Collins (Kansas): Pretty simple - the Jayhawks need Collins to play big minutes this season and become more of a focal point, so I expect him to do so. Jeff Fox
	Eric Devendorf (Syracuse): Devo was playing the best basketball of his career before he went down with the knee injury last year. Look for him to come back full steam and combine with Jonny Flynn to make up one of the BIg East's best backcourts. Raphielle Johnson
	Patrick Patterson (Kentucky): Was the only freshmen among the SEC's top scorers before getting hurt last season. He'll be the biggest reason Kentucky will be a contender for the SEC East. Kevin McNeill
	Jeff Allen (Virginia Tech): Lost in last year’s freakish freshman class, Allen quietly had a solid 11 & 7 season for Virginia Tech. But if he keeps his head on straight, Allen has the chance to be one of the best players in the ACC. Shawn Siegel
	Austin Daye (Gonzaga): There is nothing on a basketball court he can't do (well, except defend, but who cares about that, right?). Just a match-up nightmare that can get his shot off any time and should keep improving. Jason Tomassini
	Damion James (Texas): James can score around the basket, shoot the ball and is an absolute beast on the glass. A.J. Abrams might be Texas' leading scorer this season, but James will be the most valuable player. Joel Welser
	Austin Daye (Gonzaga): Daye is a 6'10" perimeter player who can dribble, shoot and create his own shot. WCC defenders, you have been warned. Joey Whelan

More Writers Picks: Overrated Players - Underrated Players

Who do you think belongs on this list? Post your comments below:

Atlantic 10 Media Poll: Xavier The Favorite

Press Release — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:17:20 -0400

After winning a program-record 30 contests and advancing to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, Xavier has been tabbed as the team to beat in the Atlantic 10 men's basketball race, according to a poll of Atlantic 10's head coaches and media released Tuesday during Basketball Media Day.

The Musketeers received 44 of the 61 first-place votes cast by the panel of coaches and media members. Xavier (30-7/14-2) returns a pair of starters from last year's team which captured its second consecutive A-10 regular season title. Leading XU will be junior forward Derrick Brown (10.9 ppg., 6.5 rpg.) and senior guard/forward C.J. Anderson (10.7 ppg., 5.9 rpg.), who garnered preseason All-Conference first- and third-team honors, respectively. Xavier has won 20 or more games in 11 of the last 12 seasons and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in seven of the past eight years, including Elite Eight appearances in 2004 and 2008.

Temple received 12 first-place votes and placed second in the preseason poll. The Owls (21-13/11-5) captured the 2008 Atlantic 10 Championship for the first time since 2001 - their league-leading seventh time overall. TU welcomes back senior guard Dionte Christmas (19.7 ppg., 5.9 rpg.), a preseason first-team All-Conference selection who is vying to become the first player to lead the A-10 in scoring three times.

Dayton (23-11/8-8) was picked third and will be led by preseason second-team selection Chris Wright (10.4 ppg., 5.7 rpg.), a 6-8 forward who garnered All-Rookie team distinction a year ago. The Flyers earned three first-place votes. 2008 NCAA participant Saint Joseph's (21-13/9-7) was tabbed fourth and will be anchored by preseason first-team choice Ahmad Nivins (14.4 ppg., 5.8 rpg.), the A-10 field goal percentage leader the past two seasons.

One of a league-record eight teams to win at least 20 games a year ago, Charlotte (20-14/9-7) earned a pair of first-place votes and was selected fifth in the poll, while NIT runner-up Massachusetts (25-11/10-6) was picked sixth. Saint Louis (16-15/7-9) was tabbed seventh, followed by Richmond (16-15/9-7), Rhode Island (21-121/7-9), La Salle (15-17/8-8), George Washington (9-17/5-11), Duquesne (17-13/7-9), Fordham (12-17/6-10) and St. Bonaventure (8-22/2-14).

In that same poll, the coaches and media selected the preseason All-Conference teams. The first-team is comprised of Brown, Christmas, Nivins, Kevin Lisch of Saint Louis and Massachusetts' Chris Lowe. The second-team consists of Wright, George Washington's Rob Diggs, Ricky Harris of Massachusetts, the 2008 recipient of the Chris Daniels Most Improved Player Award and the league's second-highest returning scorer (18.2 ppg.), Tommie Liddell of Saint Louis and Charlotte's Lamont Mack. On the third-team are C.J. Anderson of Xavier, Richmond's Kevin Anderson, Jimmy Baron of Rhode Island, La Salle's Rodney Green and David Gonzalvez of Richmond.

The preseason All-Defensive team consists of Brown, Lisch, Lowe, Lavoy Allen of Temple and Saint Joseph's Garrett Williamson. The All-Rookie team is comprised of Melquan Bolding of Duquesne, Dayton's Paul Williams and Xavier teammates Kenny Frease, Terrell Holloway and Mark Lyons.

The 2008-09 season tips off on Nov. 11 when Massachusetts faces Arkansas-Monticello in the 2K Sports Classic in Carbondale, Ill. The top 12 teams will advance to the 33rd Annual Atlantic 10 Championship, to be held Mar. 11-14 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.

Last season marked the 14th time in Conference history and fifth since 2000 that multiple A-10 teams earned at-large berths to the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. In addition, Charlotte, Dayton, Massachusetts and Rhode Island advanced to the NIT and Richmond earned a berth in the inaugural College Basketball Invitational.

PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH

1. Xavier (44)

2. Temple (12)

3. Dayton (3)

4. Saint Joseph's

5. Charlotte (2)

6. Massachusetts

7. Saint Louis

8. Richmond

9. Rhode Island

10. La Salle

11. George Washington

12. Duquesne

13. Fordham

14. St. Bonaventure

- First-place votes in parentheses

Daily Conference Poll: Who Will Win the Atlantic 10?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 04:24:28 -0400

2008-09 Dayton Basketball Preview: #42

Joel Welser — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 11:33:57 -0400

Dayton Flyers

Overall Rank: #42

Conference Rank: #3 Atlantic 10

2007-08: 23-11, 8-8, 7^th

2007-08 postseason: NIT

Dayton’s season can be summed up in a couple numbers…13-2. That was the Flyers record when Chris Wright was playing. In the nine games leading up to the initial injury on December 19^th, Wright averaged 13.2 points and 7.1 rebounds. He played a few more games until he fractured his ankle, but was used sparingly. Also keep in mind that these were Wright’s first nine games as a collegiate player. He would have gotten better and he will get better. Despite some major losses elsewhere on the court, Dayton has plenty to look forward to with a healthy Wright on the floor.

Who’s Out:

Even with Wright, can the Flyers overcome the loss of Brian Roberts? Roberts led the team with 18.4 points and 3.4 assists per game. Despite hitting nearly three long balls per game, Roberts was more than just a shooter. He could drive the lane and either find his teammate for the open look or finish himself. The absence of fellow starter Andres Sandoval raises even more questions on the perimeter. The concerns are not limited to the backcourt. Jimmy Binnie and Thiago Cordeiro are also gone. Binnie was the team’s second best three-point shooter and could stretch out the defense with his shooting ability. Cordeiro never put up big numbers or played that often, but a team can never have too much depth in the paint. Without Roberts and Binnie, and Sandoval for that matter, the Flyers have no long range shooting threats returning.

Who’s In:

Hopefully one of the newcomers can fill that role. Paul Williams is the likely candidate. The 6-4 shooting guard can hit the outside shot, but his best asset is his defense. Chris Johnson and Luke Fabrizius will add more depth. Johnson is a versatile athlete who can shoot. Ideally he is a small forward, but he could see some time at the four spot and play a similar role as Binnie did last year, but with fewer minutes. Fabrizius is pretty much a shooter at this point in his career, but at 6-9 he has a lot more size than one would expect from a shooter. Once he fills out the rest of his game, Fabrizius will be very difficult to defend. Power forward Josh Benson is long and athletic. He uses those skills to block shots and grab rebounds quite effectively and should be a good back-up forward when Coach Brian Gregory needs somebody who can hit the glass and battle in the paint more than Fabrizius can. All those players can fill a role this year, most likely off the bench, but Rob Lowery could crack the starting line-up sooner or later. The junior college transfer can break down his opponents off the dribble and hit the open jumper. He is versatile enough to play any position on the perimeter, but his ability to handle the ball, and score, has the Flyer faithful excited. Even if he is not starting, Lowery should see significant playing time at the point.

Who to Watch:

In the meantime London Warren will be handling the point guard duties. Warren is not a scorer like Lowery, but as long as he can keep the turnovers down and create for his teammates, he will be doing his job. Yet, with the lack of shooters on the team, if Lowery can hit the outside shot and do nearly as good of a job running the show as Warren, this will be Lowery’s team by the end of the year. The guy who will take over a majority of the scoring is Marcus Johnson. His shooting got better during his sophomore campaign, but Johnson will still do most of his damage by getting to the basket. For a 6-3 guard he is also a tremendous rebounder and ranked second to only Wright on the team with 5.1 boards per contest. Mickey Perry and Stephen Thomas did not play much last year, but both have the potential to see more minutes this year and provide experienced depth to the backcourt. They will get their chance while the newcomers are still adjusting to life at the this level.

Final Projection:

Kurt Huelsman will rarely make the highlight reel, but he is a steady and consistent big man. At 6-10 and 245 pounds he will clog the lane quite effectively and can occasionally be an offensive threat. Charles Little is the better scorer around the basket. Last year he never tallied a start despite ranking fourth on the team with 8.0 points per game. Devin Searcy and the newcomers will have to step up quickly and provide depth in the frontcourt, but the team should not have much of a problem replacing Binnie. It is replacing Roberts and his outside shooting abilities that will be the difference between the NIT and the NCAA.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

Projected Starting Five:

London Warren, Junior, Guard, 4.3 points per game

Marcus Johnson, Junior, Guard, 10.1 points per game

Chris Wright, Sophomore, Forward, 10.4 points per game

Charles Little, Senior, Forward, 8.0 points per game

Kurt Huelsman, Junior, Center, 5.9 points per game

Complete Top 144 Ranking | 2008-09 Preview & Awards | Coach Interviews | Discuss the Preview

Poll: What is the Top Program in Ohio?

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:35:01 -0400

State of '08: Ohio

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:33:26 -0400

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Duke or Carolina? BC or UMASS? Gonzaga or Washington.. or Washington State? What is the best program in each state? While there's not much competition in Hawaii.. there are great debates to be had in loaded regions like California, North Carolina, and Texas. The State of '08 is a ranking of every program in every state.. based mostly on recent success (the last five years) mixed in with subjective factors such as conference prestige, historical success, and overall program direction.

For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

OHIO

OHIO STATE - While Xavier has had more consistent success since 2001, its hard to match Ohio State's 2007 campaign: Reaching the National Title game while finishing 1st in the RPI. OSU has also won 20 games in 8 of 10 seasons and reached 6 Big Dances.

XAVIER - Sean Miller has picked up where Thad Matta left off, and Matta followed the success of Skip Prosser, who continued the foundation set by Pete Gillen. Since 1986, there's been a continual run of impressive postseason success at Xavier, including 2 Elite Eight trips in the past 5 years.

KENT STATE - Pretty much whatever success you see at Kent State can still be attributed to the job Gary Waters did in the late 90's, turning a dormant program into a winner. In the last decade, the Golden Flashes have made 5 NCAA Tournaments and 4 NITs, and have won at least 20 games in each of those seasons. In 2009, Kent State is once again the projected MAC champ.

CINCINNATI - This is obviously a storied program, but the post-Huggins era has gotten off to a slow start. There hasn't been a tourney trip in the past three seasons, nor a finish above .500 in conference play. 2009 should be better, but the Big Dance will most likely have to wait another season.

DAYTON - After a hot start, Dayton stumbled to an 8-8 finish in A10 play, their third season in a row without a winning league record. From 2000-2005, Dayton won at least 9 league games every season, and made 3 NCAA Tournaments and 2 NITs.

6. MIAMI - The RedHawks have never been bad in Charlie Coles lengthy career. In fact, just one time in 11 seasons has his team failed to go at least .500 in the MAC. His last five teams have finished in the RPI Top 100, and this year's squad looks postseason-worthy once again.

7. AKRON - Keith Dambrot's four year tenure has been highly impressive. The Zips have been finished in the RPI Top 75 the past four seasons, consistently challenged for MAC titles, and advanced to two NITs. The team does lose a lot of talent this year, so it might be Dambrot's most challenging season.

8. OHIO - Ohio is a solid program that has never gone more than couple seasons here or there without contending for the MAC title. The Bobcats have won at least 18 games the past four seasons (including the '05 Big Dance), though the off-season departure of 8-year coach Tim O'Shea was puzzling.

9. WRIGHT STATE - We might be in thee midst of Wright State's best run in program history. Brad Brownell led the Raiders to the '07 Tournament in his first season, and followed that up with another 20+ win season last year. This year, WSU should once again contend for the Horizon League title.

10. TOLEDO - The Rockets haven't made the NCAA's since 1980, but it hasn't been all bad in the meantime. In 2001 & 2007, the Rockets won MAC regular season titles, but couldn't get over the conference tournament hump. Last year was disappointing, and new coach Gene Cross will need to elevate the program's overall talent-level.

11. CLEVELAND STATE - Twenty years after last making the postseason, the Vikings made the NIT in Gary Waters' second season. The Vikings won 10 league games and 20 overall games for the first time since 1993, and there's a legitimate shot they could earn their first Tourney trip since 1986.

12. BOWLING GREEN - Falcons basketball peaked in the 60's. The start of Dan Dakich's tenure, from about 99 to 02, looked promising.. but things went down hill. The last three years have featured sub-200 RPI teams, though the 2009 squad looks promising.

13. YOUNGSTOWN STATE - The Penguins basketball teams have never been able to match the football teams accomplishments. There are occasional hopeful seasons, but 2001 was the last time YSU really did any damage.

Last: North Carolina - Next: Oklahoma

State of '08: The Introduction (& State list/links)

Poll: How Many A10 Teams Will Make the 2009 NCAA Tournament?

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:47:25 -0400

Dayton's Roberts to Tryout With Two Team

Press Release — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 01:25:39 -0400

The University of Dayton's Brian Roberts will be a bicoastal professional basketball player this in the next two weeks as he will play for two NBA teams in the Orlando and Vegas summer leagues.

Roberts will play for the Orlando Magic entry in the Orlando Pro Summer League July 7-11, and then Roberts will catch up to the Los Angeles Laker team that will play in the NBA Summer League Presented by EA Sports July 13-19.

Roberts led the UD men to a 23-11 record and a quarterfinal appearance in the NIT. He led Dayton in scoring (18.4), three-pointers (100-220, .455), free throws (111-129, .860) and minutes (34.7).

Roberts ended his career in the UD Top Ten in 10 statistical categories, including #1 in three-pointers made (293) and 3-pt. FG% (.441, 293-665). He was a three-time All-Atlantic 10 selection, and was a finalist for the Wooden, Naismith and Cousy Awards, in addition to the Lowes Senior CLASS Award.

Today's Game Predictions: NIT & CBI

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 12:45:59 -0400

Dayton (22-10) at Illinois State (25-9)

7:00 PM ESPNU

Was the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament not enough for you? If that's the case.. the NIT picks up the slack tonight with multiple televised second round games. Dayton got an unfair shake by getting a 3 seed and having to go on the road for this second round game. Illinois State struggled against Utah State, a notoriously poor away team, which is a bad sign against a better Flyers squad. The Redbirds are favored by 6.5 which seems like a bit much to me. I'll go with the road dog here, especially against the spread.

Prediction: Dayton

Utah (21-13) at Tulsa (18-14)

9:00 PM

I'm not a fan of the CBI, but this should be more competitive than the rest of the NIT games. Tulsa's been playing well of late, and I underestimated them in both the CUSA Tournament and against Miami in their opening round game. In the last 14 games, their only losses are two Memphis twice and UAB. I won't make the mistake of underestimating them again, though I'm certain Utah would win on a neutral court or at home.

Prediction: Tulsa

UAB (23-10) at Virginia Tech (20-13)

9:00 PM ESPN

The Hokies are 8 point favorites, which seems like an appropriate total. Still, I think the Blazers have a better shot at the road upset compared to Cal at Ohio State and Nebraska at Ole Miss. Va Tech is 12-2 in home games, with losses to just Miami and Duke, so you'd be foolish not to pick them to win. The spread though is enticing.

Prediction: Virginia Tech

Previous Game of the Night (Predictions, 105-66)

March 23rd - Davidson vs Georgetown (2-1)

March 21st - Davidson vs Gonzaga (0-3)

March 19th - New Mexico at California (1-2)

March 18th - Mt St Mary's vs Coppin State (2-1)

March 14th - Kansas vs Texas (2-1)

March 14th - St. Joseph's vs Temple (1-2)

March 13th - Ohio State vs Michigan State (2-1)

March 12th - Arizona State at USC (2-1)

March 12th - Syracuse vs Villanova (2-1)

March 11th - IUPUI at Oral Roberts (3-0)

March 10th - Gonzaga at San Diego (1-2)

March 9th - Florida at Kentucky (1-2)

March 8th - UNC at Duke (2-1)

March 5th - Tennessee at Florida (2-1)

March 4th - UNLV at New Mexico (3-0)

March 3rd - Texas Tech at Kansas (3-0)

March 2nd - Clemson at Maryland (1-2)