Dayton vs. _avier

[BRob2Perryman3]

Fellow UDPriders and visitors, i apologize as this will be rambling,opinionated and often indiscernible. I am not a writer, never have been and never will be. I can barely organize my own life let alone a sentence about something i am most passionate about. My Dayton Flyers. Forgive me, i lost my best friend 2 years ago that i used to be able to discuss UD hoops with.

In 1992 a little boy with no father figure within 200 miles of him was taken under the wing of a great man through the Big Brother/Big Sister program of United Way. This man, Gary Shupe introduced this little boy, Me, to the University of Dayton Flyers basketball program. I was unfamiliar with basketball i was a baseball guy, i idolized Will Clark,George Brett,Chris Sabo and Barry Larkin. I remember my first game vividly, wasn't that impressed actually. Then it happened, Derrick Dukes threw a perfect alley-oop pass to Darnell Hahn and the crowd went BONKERS!!!! Id never seen it before i was frozen, i was enthralled, i was..........HOOKED.

I obviously suffered thru some terrible early years, but never lost my love or faith of this team. Then Chris Daniels came around and i had my first favorite Flyer then OP came along. I distinctly remember Ryan Perryman and Chris Daniels going toe to toe with Lou Roe and Marcus Camby of #1 UMass on tv until Daniels fouled out and we succumbed by 20. I remember the day after Chris Daniels died, i was 16, i have never cried as hard before or since i heard that news. I said some prayers, wrote his initials and number on my Fenwick Falcons team basketball shoes and went out and played for him.

It was around this time i started noticing the games against _avier were different. They were good. i saw the Brown and Lumpkin teams upset UC on t.v i saw how good Posey and Braggs were i was impressed. It wasn't long before every year the schedule came out i circled the 2 _avier games. We always played them well at home but could never get over the hump in Cincinnati, and as is well documented, to this day still haven't. I suffered through the dominations, the David West years during our own glory time.

We've lost out on local recruits to THEM. Romain Sato,Derrick Brown and Dante Jackson. they got the big-time Dayton recruits Michigan State didn't want.

I was/am the sap _avier fans talk about. I had an inferiority complex. The _avier game was my/our Super Bowl. I had/have gotten to the point where the matchup consumed my thoughts leading up to the big game.

Then came the new Big East. We didn't get our invite. Its clear as day _avier,Marquette and Georgetown are completely responsible for our non-invite.

Three years have passed, and we've no longer played _avier. Something magical has happened in that 3 years. Dayton Flyers basketball has flourished!!! We've won 5 NCAA tournament games been to an Elite Eight and are now firmly on the national scene. The talking heads are taking notice. Dare i say the programs in my honest opinion are back to being on equal footing.

It has been clear _avier will not schedule us, so yes when this field was announced i was ecstatic. i would have given anything to get a final of UD vs. _. Now i have it!! And for all the reasons listed above i hope you can all understand my obsession and NEED for this game.

A lot of things are going through my head from now until Sunday, a younger version of myself,Gary, OP,BG and Arch, all my former faves, CWD,Alex Robertson,Ashman,Stanley,Brooks,Wally,Ramod,Finn,C J,DMO and Jordan. And of course my all time favorites Ryan Perryman and Brian Roberts. Dyshawn will be in my thoughts as he is the only Flyer to play _avier and he is unable to participate due to a grave miscarriage of justice.

So you have asked and wondered, How can some of you be so obsessed and _avier focused?

This is why. Its who i am and what I've wanted for 3 years. Dayton basketball is ingrained in my heart,soul and blood. there is nothing more Dayton basketball then Dayton vs. _avier on the hardwood.

Go Flyers!!!!!!!!!!! Beat Eggs!!!!!!!!!!! Clear the slate!!!!!!!!! Its a new day!!!!!! WE ARE UD!!!!!!!!!!!

#trueteam #21 #ripgary #ripcwd

	Xavier XAVIER MUSKETEERS Dayton's biggest rival dating back to the early 1900s. Founded in 1831, Xavier University is a Jesuit, Catholic university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its three colleges offer 78 undergraduate majors, 43 minors and 11 graduate programs to 6,646 total students, including 3,961 undergraduates. The University is the sixth-oldest Catholic university in the nation and one of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities nationwide. Xavier's nickname is the Musketeers and are fellow A10 Conference members.

	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.

[Smitty10]

Great read.

May I add that I see a little of that inferiority complex still hanging around. Things like "Flyers better not play like they did against Monmouth or they'll get destroyed". Hey, I think we're on equal footing now and it's not a situation that we necessarily have to play our very, very best to beat them. It actually might be they have to play their absolute best to beat us. And if we play our best, they might not have chance. There's no inferiority complex here. They're the ones that are afraid to play us, not vice versa. We've put the most impressive teams on the court since they split from the A10. Yes last season they went further than us, but let's be honest, what we accomplished was much more impressive. We were handed a terrible hand with the play-in game and playing 6 games in 10 days and still won as many games in the dance as they did. And Boise St was as good of if not a better quality opponent than they had with Ol' Miss. Then they beat Georgia St. who wasn't near the opponent that Providence was. They got handed an easy hand, we did not. The prior year, they got whipped by NCST who then got whipped by SLU. Don't need to rehash what we did, though I enjoy doing so.

Now, let's look at the first two rounds of this tournament. They get Alabama who we crushed by over 30 points and USC. We get Iowa and Monmouth(the team that knocked off the #1 seed.). Again, they got the easy road and by just looking at scores, you might think they are rolling and we're just eeking them out but the opponents are the difference between night and day.

The Flyers have been ahead of X since they left the A10, I don't see why that changes tomorrow.

	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.

[KGB26]

By around 7:00 pm Sunday, we'll know which team is better, if only for this year. Meanwhile, I'd like to say that I'm impressed that it is two Ohio teams that wiped out the competition in this tournament. Plus UC is looking strong and it is THE Ohio State that is bringing up the rear in our State.

KGN26