Three Down, Five To Go

BEVERLY HILLS (MI) -- Back on February 9th UDPride Message Board poster Piqua Flyer ‘66 started a thread on the MB entitled “Eight A-10 games left...Flyers can win out, IF.” This was immediately preceding the Duquesne home game and since that time, the Flyers have ripped off three in a row – two home 20+ point blowouts vs. the aforementioned Dukes and GW and a hard fought roadie at Rhody.

Looking ahead, the sked doesn’t get any easier: two visits to Philly to face St. Joe and Lasalle, wrapped around a homie with UMass; a road trip to Richmond and a date with Davidson at the Arena. Venturing into the Land of the Cheesesteaks is never easy; the Minutemen are always a handful and stepping on the Spiders at their place will be daunting. If UD takes care of the first four, then the Wildcat tilt could be contested for all of the A-10 regular season marbles.

The Red and Blue are currently tied with VCU for 2nd place at 10-3, one game behind Davidson which is 11-2. While winning out would be optimal, just finishing in the top four would assure UD of a much-desired double bye for the A-10 Tournament in DC.

Here is how the ESPN Bubble Watch assesses the situation:

Dayton Flyers

The Flyers' neutral-floor wins over Miami and Kansas on consecutive days in November mean they're still lurking in this discussion at 17-8 and 10-3 in the Atlantic 10. The challenge for Anthony Grant's men will be to keep winning Quadrant 3 and 4 games where they'll be favored in order to reach the two opponents that may be of real use to Dayton's tournament hopes. The Flyers will end the season with a road game at Richmond followed by a home game against Davidson. Both contests will be Quadrant 2 opportunities.

Elsewhere:

– Anyone who frequents the UDPride MB is familiar with the truculent trolling of petulant poster UDScott in the game threads. Immediately after the loss to SLU (as in 4:06 pm for a game that started at 2:00 pm), he hit ‘send’ on a thread entitled “AG let’s blame everyone else but him…..” 153 posts later, Chris Rieman mercifully closed it. I must plead guilty as “FTS” was the first one to take the bait and run with it. I’m sorry; it won’t happen again.

Two games later, after the 26 point thumping of GW, UDScott was back with a reverse jinx thread called “My Man AG!” This time around absolutely no one bit and one of the mods saw fit to banish his bushwa to the “Off Topic Gibberish” subforum, where it currently languishes. Well done, fellow Priders!

Lessons learned?

Don’t feed the troll
Obvious troll is obvious

– I can’t wait for Saturday!:



– “Mongolian Mike” is now ranked the #50 recruit in the Class of 2022, according to On3.com:

https://www.on3.com/db/rankings/player/basketball/2022/

– Here are the top “Glue Guys” in college hoops, according to Evan Miyakawa:



–ICYMI, here is a great interview from NCAA.com with 90 years young Don Donoher, which includes a link to a full game video of the 1967 NCAA Championship Game vs. UCLA:

https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball...l-championship

– Ever wonder what it is like to be recruited by Coach K? Wonder no longer:

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/ncaa...j1k2qvs94z4v65

– May 25th can’t come soon enuf!:



That’s it “From the Swamp.”
You can email me at: swampy@udpride.com

	Chris Rieman CHRIS RIEMAN, PUBLISHER Founder and publisher of UDPride.com. Writer, photographer, videographer, coder, grip, comedian, auto aficionado, and lifelong Flyer fan.

	Richmond UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND Founded in 1830, the private liberal arts university in the Commonwealth boasts 2,800 students in 57 majors within its picturesque 350-acre campus. The Robins School of Business is one of the Top-20 business schools in the country. Nickname is the Spiders and are fellow A10 Conference members.

	Don Donoher DON DONOHER Legendary Flyer men's basketball coach who guided Dayton to 435 victories in 25 seasons (1964-1989) including the 1967 NCAA Runner-Up. Took over the program after the passing of Tom Blackburn and earned many NCAA and NIT bids over his career, including five Sweet-16s, one Elite Eight appearance, and the 1968 NIT Championship. Groomed All-Americans Don May and Jim Paxson, along with all-time leading scorer Roosevelt Chapman. Coached UD as they joined conference affiliation for the first time (Midwest Collegiate). A graduate of UD, Donoher played for Blackburn and credits much of his coaching success to his mentor's teachings: defense, ball protection, patience, and unselfishness.

	Rhode Island RHODE ISLAND The University of Rhode Island was chartered as the state's agricultural school in 1888. The school became the Rhode Island College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts in 1892. Located in southern Rhode Island, URI is a quintessential New England campus - rural in feeling yet close to the city of Providence, the state's capital. Linked to the city, the beaches, and nearly every corner of the state by both rail and public transit, the campus is easily accessible from Boston and New York URI currently offers 100 majors in seven degree-granting colleges. There are more than 12,000 students on the Kingston campus, about 3,000 in Providence, and a complement of about 700 faculty. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Rams.

	Massachusetts MASSACHUSETTS UMass Amherst, the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system, sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, 90 miles from Boston and 175 miles from New York City. The campus provides a rich cultural environment in a rural setting close to major urban centers. UMass enrolls over 20,000 undergraduates and 5,000 post-grad students. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Minutemen. Women's teams known as the Minutewomen. Sports achievements include NCAA Final Four appearances in men's basketball and women's soccer.

	Duquesne DUQUESNE Duquesne University is a private, coeducational university, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania located on 48 secluded acres, on a bluff above downtown. Founded in 1878 as a Catholic college by the Order of the Holy Spirit. It is the only Spiritan institution of higher education in the world. Duquesne offers 10 schools of study and 100 degree programs to 6,000 undergraduates and 3,800 graduate students. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Dukes.

	LaSalle LA SALLE In 1863, La Salle University was established through the legacy of St. John Baptist de La Salle and the Christian Brothers teaching order, which De La Salle founded 300 years ago. Located in Philadelphia, La Salle is an educational community shaped by traditional Catholic and Lasallian values. La Salle's main campus is an ideal place for students to pursue an education. The 130-acre park-like setting includes 54 buildings and is located approximately six miles from Center City Philadelphia. The University can accommodate 2,114 resident students in its 12 residence halls, two apartment complexes, and 75 townhouses. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Explorers. Notable athletes include Tom Gola and Lionel Simmons.

	Saint Louis SAINT LOUIS Saint Louis University is a Jesuit, Catholic university ranked among the top research institutions in the nation. The University fosters the intellectual and character development of more than 12,700 students. Founded in 1818, it is the oldest university west of the Mississippi and the second oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Located in St. Louis, MO, and just five minutes from the Gateway Arch, SLU offers 85 undergraduate programs and over 50 graduate study tracks. Over 99% of the SLU faculty hold the highest degree in their respective fields. Fellow member of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Billikens, but also commonly known as "Sloo", the phonetic pronunciation of the school's initials. Athletic claims to fame include multiple national titles in men's soccer and men's basketball star Larry Hughes.