After two disheartening defeats in the last week to Rhode Island and GW, the Flyers need a victory in the worst possible way. On Saturday however, they will have to earn it on the road once again as the team travels to Philadelphia to play LaSalle at Tom Gola Arena. Dayton, 0-5 away from the UD Arena this season, has their best chance of the year to get a road win, but it could be tougher than most people think.

The LaSalle Explorers field a handful of players capable of putting up big numbers on any given night. This is Speedy Morris’ best team in years even though their record does not indicate it.

The main man of LaSalle has been and still is Donnie Carr, a high-scoring, high-flying guard who can do just about anything he wants when he is playing well. Last year he was forced to play point guard and led the A-10 in assists for much of the season. Still, Carr’s job is to score and score often. The former A-10 Newcomer of the Year struggles with consistency but is always only a shot or two away from breaking a game open. As a freshman, Carr led the nation in scoring for all newcomers but has had little help from teammates over the course of his career. This season, he finally has some help.

Julian Blanks teams up with Carr in the backcourt. Blanks can handle the ball, find open teammates and make some outside shots, but he knows his main job is to get Carr the ball as often as possible for good looks on the offensive end.

Victor Thomas, a 6-7 wingman, is one of the most underrated players in the conference. Thomas has excellent range on his jumpshot, can leap with anyone on the floor, and is quick enough to guard smaller players on the defensive end. Only a sophomore, Thomas probably deserves more credit than he gets while more profile names in the conference continue to get press clippings on last year’s success.

Rasual Butler, 6-8, could be the A-10’s second-best newcomer this season after URI’s Lamar Odom. Butler is a local product from Simon-Gratz HS in Philly and could be the difference in Speedy Morris’ job security. A top-30 player out of HS, Butler can do it all. His only weakness is experience but with so much talent he can make up for it with God-given ability on nights when other players take it on the chin.

At center, 6-7 K’Zell Wesson plays the undersized role of pivot man for the Explorers. Wesson is not a center but plays the position out of necessity. Wesson leads the A-10 in rebounding and is currently second in the nation in that same category. Wesson can best be described as a Ryan Perryman-clone. He is a blue-collar worker, plays every play like it is his last, and does the dirty work that other guys refuse to do. Wesson doesn’t have much of a jumpshot and must get his points off of missed shots and loose balls near the basket. Still, Wesson could end up on the A-10 First Team if he continues to put up gaudy numbers.

Dayton must come away with a victory in Philadelphia. The Flyers must show its fans and its coach that UD is no longer just a home court wonder. Currently, the Flyers are 0-5 on the road and 7-2 at home.

Mark Ashman should have a solid game if he can keep Wesson off of the boards. Tony Stanley will have his hands full on the offensive end as LaSalle will gear their defense to stop Dayton’s best outside scoring threat. On the defensive end, Edwin Young must shake off the cobwebs from a poor performance two days ago and bottle up Donnie Carr. The real question mark is at the forward position. Who will guard Rasual Butler? The nod will likely go to Coby Turner. While Turner’s offensive game is no longer existent, his defense has been fairly consistent all year.

This is the biggest game of the year so far and could determine which way the Flyers go as they head into the second half of the season. A victory away from home would go a long way. A defeat could do irreparable damage to player pride and confidence.