Dayton Basketball

Quick—name a state with five teams in the top 30 of college basketball’s RPI. 

Tennessee?  North Carolina?  California?  Texas?

No, no, no, and no.

There is only one correct answer, and it may surprise you. 

A state that doesn’t jump to the forefront in discussions of college hoops prowess, Ohio boasts several top-notch programs early in 2008.  It's time for the country to take notice.

Here is this writer’s ranking of the state’s top teams...

1. Dayton (13-1, RPI: 6, SOS: 37)

The program has certainly experienced some ups and downs through the Brian Gregory tenure, but the Flyers are soaring high once again this year, thanks in large part to senior Brian Roberts (19.1 PPG, 4.5 APG). 

Roberts could very well be the best player the country doesn’t know.  He has come up big in the team’s biggest games, pouring in 28 points against Louisville, 31 against Pittsburgh, and 23 against Rhode Island.

The team has also been aided by impact freshman Chris Wright (10.9 PPG, 6.3 RPG).  His presence has added to the team’s depth, and provided another strong scoring option for a squad that relied too heavily on Roberts in the past couple of years.

Dayton has already picked up several big early-season victories, and will continue to be tested in a stronger-than-usual Atlantic 10 conference.

2. Xavier (13-3, RPI: 9, SOS: 13)

Speaking of the A-10 conference, Xavier has turned itself into a perennial power. 

Every March, it seems, the Musketeers are making a run, knocking off teams they “should not beat.”  Like Gonzaga, they can no longer be considered a Cinderella because of the frequency of upsets.

Xavier has been rich in scoring, and they spread the wealth generously.  With a team average of 81.0 points per game, they have a whopping six players putting up double-figure averages.

They are still reaping the rewards of leading scorer Drew Lavender’s decision to return to his home state.  Lavender (12.7 PPG, 5.1 APG) played his high school ball in Columbus and went out to Oklahoma with his teammate Brandon Foust before deciding to transfer to Xavier.

Pundits can confidently label Xavier Cincinnati’s best team now that their UC counterparts (see “Not Making the Cut: The Next Five” below) have taken a slide. 

January 24th marks their first meeting with rival Dayton.  Ohio hoops fans, mark your calendars now.

3. Ohio State (12-3, RPI: 16, SOS: 18)

The Buckeyes lost Greg Oden, Mike Conley, Jr., Ron Lewis, and Ivan Harris after last season’s run to the championship game. 

As for the football team, this was supposed to be a rebuilding season in Columbus, but after a strong start expectations have risen quickly.  (Ohio State fans just hope the season doesn’t end the same way the gridders' did.)

With a very young squad, the emergence of senior Jamar Butler (14.4 PPG, 6.1 APG) has been very important.  He has taken the team under his wing, and provided coach Thad Matta with a go-to guy.

Freshman seven-footer Kosta Koufos (15.1 PPG, 7.3 RPG) has underperformed in the bright spotlight of big games, but has emerged recently as a more consistent force for the team inside and out.

The Buckeyes have experienced major lapses in scoring during their three losses (Texas A&M, Butler, and North Carolina), and for this team to reach its true potential, it will need consistent scoring out of freshman Jon Diebler (7.7 PPG), who can absolutely light it up when he is on.

Diebler is Ohio’s all-time leading high school scorer, averaging 40 points per game during his senior season in Upper Sandusky, Ohio.

4. Kent State (12-3, RPI: 30, SOS: 106)

While they don’t boast some of the quality wins that the above programs have, the Golden Flashes have won consistently after their season-opening debacle. 

Since then, their only losses have come against Xavier, and North Carolina on the road.

With only one freshman, Kent State is a fairly experienced squad that will be in the mix in the Mid-American Conference if they can continue shooting the basketball well (currently 46.8 percent from the field).  

They must come to play against the other talent from the MAC in addition to the weaker teams, as it is unlikely the conference will obtain many bids to the NCAA Tournament.

5. Ohio (9-5, RPI: 56, SOS: 72)

You hear the experts say it all the time: It's hard to win on the road in college basketball. 

In the Bobcats’ first 14 games, they have traveled out of Athens nine times, including for tough contests against Kansas and St. Mary’s (the latter of which was actually close).

Ohio is led by two upperclassmen forwards, Leon Williams (16.5 PPG, 9.8 RPG) and Jerome Tillman (12.7 PPG, 7.4 RPG), who frequently have their way inside.

The Bobcats cannot afford to lose too many games like last Saturday's disappointing defeat at the hands of conference foe Bowling Green if they want to make their way back to the NCAA Tournament after a one-year hiatus.

Not Making the Cut: The Next Five

 
Miami (OH) (6-7, RPI: 29, SOS: 3)

Brutal schedule to date, including eight on road.

Akron (11-3, RPI: 97, SOS: 267)

Early success must be put in perspective (see S.O.S.).

Wright State (8-5, RPI: 59, SOS: 31)

Two straight bad losses have hurt significantly.

Cleveland State (8-5, RPI: 82, SOS: 69)

Several tough losses for this young team.

Cincinnati (7-8, RPI: 132, SOS: 36)

Their five game losing skid is now well in the past, but things won’t get easier in the Big East.

Was it a case of a holiday hangover? A letdown after knocking another team down from the ranks of the undefeated? Or did the Pitt Panthers simply overlook the Dayton Flyers?

Whatever the reason, the Panthers laid an egg, and the Flyers brought down another Big East foe. Senior Brian Roberts—no, not that Brian Roberts—dropped thirty-one, including five of eight behind the arc, as the Flyers topped the sixth-ranked Panthers 80-55.

The win marks the second ranked team Dayton has beaten, en route to a record of eleven wins and one loss.

On December 8th, the Flyers beat Rick Pitino and the #11 Louisville Cardinals 70-65 at Freedom Hall. Dayton’s win marked the fifth time this season an A-10 team has beaten a Big East squad.

Both Rhode Island and UMass have knocked off Syracuse. Xavier topped cross-town rival Cincinnati.

In other great men’s games yesterday, the Volunteers of Tennessee used a smothering defense to outlast Gonzaga 82-72. Inbounding the ball against the Volunteers is nothing short of an adventure. Their half-court offense is nothing special—almost zero post-play—but they make up for it with an all-out denial defense.

For those of you who were scratching your heads at my headline, thinking Casey must be sipping the Sam Adams a little too early in the morning—on to the game of the weekend.

Where has this been all year? Eli rolling left and finding Boss in the end zone. Eli rolling right and firing an absolute strike to Plaxico who tip-toed in the end zone like it was a garden of tulips. Eli diving HEAD FIRST. Where has his stuff been all year? 22 of 32 for 251 yards? There’s the upside everyone wants to believe in.

The Better-Half and I listened to quarters two and three on the radio. (Daughter #2 had a hoops game an hour and a half from home). It was great to listen to Don Criqui and John Dockery call the game. Dockery and Criqui were at the point of giggling when discussing Eli last night. Descriptions like: "Eli looks at ease in the pocket," "Eli is making all the plays," etc. etc.

I have to rethink my evaluation of Dockery. As a sideline reporter for NBC, he was the bane of my college-football-viewing existence. He used to shove the microphone in the face of Bob Davie in such an intrusive manner.

Thanks to the Better-Half I have stuck with the Giants. Week after week, she has encouraged me to watch the G-Men—I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true. All the while she has remained patient while I've erupted in frustration over their inconsistent play.

To top it off Hixon had a 74-yard kickoff return—and Brandon Jacobs! Any more of Jacobs and I am gonna get a severe case of amnesia when it comes to Giant running backs of the last seven years or so.

Of course Eli eventually botched a snap and threw an interception, the Giants abandoned the running game, they allowed the league’s best receiver to get wide open on back-to-back plays as the Pats took their first lead, and then missed tackles on two third and long plays as the Patriots drove for another touchdown.

Despite all that, Big Blue managed a late drive to pull within a field goal.

Credit Tom Coughlin for much of what happened yesterday. The guy has been under fire for as long as I can remember. While Bill Simmons has made several references to the "Tommy Hill" face, there is also the "Coughlin" face—a visage of complete befuddlement as if to say: "I can’t believe these guys are professionals!"

But no one can question Coughlin’s heart and his competitiveness. I have been looking for a reason to support the guy, and yesterday’s Giant effort went a long way to that end.

The question is: Can the Giants can carry the momentum from yesterday’s effort into the playoffs? Or will this year end in disappointment again? I have no visions of grandeur. I do not expect the Jints to advance to the Super Bowl. I do expect them to show up and earn their collective paychecks.

Tip o’ the hat the Pats. They took the Giants’ best shot—and that WAS the Giants’ best shot—and managed to pull out the victory.

Remember on draft day, when the Pats traded for Randy Moss? All those dissenters who rushed to prognosticate how Moss would be the cancer leading to the demise of the Patriots’ dynasty? Where are they now?

I’ll be the first to admit watching Moss play is much more enjoyable than listening to him. The "us against the world" platform will get old quick.

Caught part of a call-in show this morning. One of the listeners asserted that the Patriots are undefeated solely because of their offensive prowess. Does anyone get the irony in such a comment? A Bill Belichik team living on their offense?

How quickly people forget. Remember the "K-Gun"—the Buffalo Bills’ no-huddle offense run by Jim Kelly, who had more weapons than Tank Johnson: Andre Reed, James Lofton, Thurman Thomas, and Pete Metzelaars?

Remember how that Bills’ offense ran through the Raiders in the AFC Championship game 51-3? Then that same Bills’ squad was held to less than twenty in the Super Bowl. Do you remember the name of the Giant defensive coordinator responsible for the scheme that slowed down the ‘K-Gun’?

The Patriots’ defense is designed to work with their high-powered offense. If it comes down to needing a stop late in the game, there is no one better than Bill Belichik to devise a plan.

Also, cheers to the R.I.T. Men’s hockey team. The Tigers upset #12 Minnesota 4-3 in the Gophers’ annual holiday tournament. R.I.T. plays Boston College today at 5.

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