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Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Flyers’ issues are tough to solve
I heard a lot of predictions in the preseason about how many wins Dayton would be able to muster this year, and most seemed to fall in the 15-18 category.
All those who forecasted a victory total in that range are looking pretty smart after an 83-73 home loss to Duquesne, the Flyers’ third-straight setback.
I’ve got to admit, I adjusted my expectations after the team’s surprising start. Beating Minnesota for the Old Spice Classic crown and then starting Atlantic 10 play with wins over probably the three best teams in Saint Louis, Temple and Xavier left me thinking UD had a pretty high ceiling.
But reality is starting to set in. The Flyers are sorely missing forward Josh Benson and the athleticism he would bring inside. They’re getting carved up defensively, and while they do play with great effort, they don’t have the inside quickness to be get consistent stops.
Even their guards are getting beat off the dribble too much, which forces the bigs to help and either leads to an easy put-back or a kick out for a 3-pointer.
It doesn’t look like it’s going to get any better, either. The Flyers play four of their next five on the road.
One thing that would help would be the return to form of Paul Williams. He’s an astonishing 2-for-23 from the floor in his last three games. He’s a three-year starter, and I even voted for him in my A-10 preseason ballot as a third-team all-conference pick. When I joked with him before the season that he’d better not let me down, he quipped, “That might not be high enough.”
I don’t think he’s disengaged. That’s sort of his personality, never gets too high or too low. I don’t remember him ever really showing emotion on the floor in games or at practice.
But his confidence appears to have hit bedrock. He always had a flat shot, and it takes great belief in yourself to overcome a fundamental flaw. Williams looks like he’s seriously questioning himself now.
Chris Johnson also is on the enigma side. After going for 17 points at St. Joe’s and 20 points and 12 rebounds against Rhode Island, he was a meager 1-for-6 from the field and 0-for-4 on 3-pointers against the Dukes. Consistency is not his strong suit.
You gotta love Matt Kavanaugh’s desire to compete, though. He’s limited physically, of course, but you can succeed at the A-10 level with a center like him.
And I wouldn’t trade Kevin Dillard for any point guard in the league.
But the 4 spot without Benson is a puzzle, and you add up the aforementioned issues and what do you get? A team that seems destined to finish in the 15-18 win range.
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TweetFlyers lose third consecutive game
Duquesne shot 61 percent in the first half and 52 for the game in sending Dayton to an 83-73 setback, the Flyers’ third straight loss.
B.J. Monteiro scored 20 points for the winners. Kevin Dillard had 22 points and seven assists, and Matt Kavanaugh had 17 points and six rebounds for UD (14-8, 4-4 Atlantic 10).
Trailing by as many as 16 in the first half, the Flyers made the last basket of the period and went on an 11-3 run to start the second half to shave the deficit to one.
They took their first lead in more than 25 minutes at 57-55 on a pair of Chris Johnson free throws with 10:09 to go.
They rallied by producing what they’ve been lacking for most of their last three games: defensive stops. The Dukes failed to score on 14 of 16 possessions to start the second half.
But the Flyers reverted to their meek and mild ways on defense again.
Leading by one, the Dukes (13-9, 4-4) went on an 11-2 surge to take control. They found an opening for a dunk, turned a Paul Williams turnover into a bucket and scored again when T.J. McConnell, who is second in the nation in steals, intercepted a pass and went coast to coast for a lay-up.
Andre Marhold slipped inside for two. And when Monteiro swished a 3, the Dukes had a 71-61 lead with 5:30 left. The Flyers didn’t get closer than five after that.
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