Davidson next for A10?

[xubrew]

Well, all I have is a bunch of impressions from seeing them up close in what amounts to a high school gym atmosphere.
Yes, they play good, well coached/executed team ball...and obviously excel when they get a Curry.
But they don't play A10 level competition night in, night out. They go off every now and then (like Wofford at X) but it's my impression they couldn't handle that on a consistent basis yet.
They are not Butler and VCU; not even close.

I think they've been better these last two years than they were in Curry's freshman and junior year. That's hard to quantify, but it's just the impression I get. Curry's sophomore year they were really good. They didn't have any top 100 wins during the regular season, but I want to say that they played four top ten teams that year, and lost all four games by a combined total of 20 pts, or something like that. They were actually 3-6 before they started blowing through all those sub top 100 teams. Kansas won the national title that year, and I still think Davidson should have beaten them.

But, like I said earlier, I don't even look at that season when I assess their program. It was an aberration and has nothing to do with their current program status. At the end of the day, I think playing so many teams outside of the RPI top 200 works against them. Playing A10 caliber competition will help them a lot more than it will overwhelm them.

The thing is, none of these arguments will be proven right or wrong until a couple of years from now, and by then no one will remember that we were even arguing about it. It's just that in the offseason, pretty much the only thing you have to talk about are hypotheticals.

[xubrew]

I don't want in your argument. But I watched a lot of Davidson over the past 20 years as they come to Spartanburg to play Wofford.
VERY well coached, a lot of fun to watch. And sometimes the SoCon has a good team every now and then (Wofford beating us at home?).
But they are a notch below A10 caliber players, and need a Curry to even compete on a consistent basis. I think they will struggle for a while until their recruiting catches up to the St Louis, VCU or most of the other A10 teams.

Why not?? It's the offseason. What else is there to do??

Here's the thing, and this is especially true with DC Muskie, the more valid I think his points are, the more strongly I argue against them. And why not?? It's the offseason. In his last post he mentioned that his head was about to explode. I would very much like to see that.

[GoMuskies]

Well, all I have is a bunch of impressions from seeing them up close in what amounts to a high school gym atmosphere.
Yes, they play good, well coached/executed team ball...and obviously excel when they get a Curry.
But they don't play A10 level competition night in, night out. They go off every now and then (like Wofford at X) but it's my impression they couldn't handle that on a consistent basis yet.
They are not Butler and VCU; not even close.

I understand. Basically it's just my opinion that most A-10 level competition is pretty average to bad. Finishing in the top half of the A-10 isn't much of an accomplishment to tell you the truth. I find it hard to believe that Davidson hasn't been better AND more talented than half of the A-10 on a very consistent basis.

[Milhouse]

Why not?? It's the offseason. What else is there to do??

Besides posting on UDpride?? :)

[xudash]

Besides posting on UDpride?? :)

Some of those guys really crack me up. I think it's Gem City who seems to believe that UD is the cat's meow.

He started a thread about UC and the AAC and used it as an opportunity to move his phantom armies around the board in order to 'flank' Xavier:

UC and the American Athletic Conference

It would appear that one of our oldest rivals in the Cincinnnati Beacats currently find themselves in a similiar predicament to our beloved Dayton Flyers. Both programs, it would seem have been left at the alter for the latest flavor of the month. UC has slid back into what would appear to be the second coming of C-USA called the American Athletic Confernce. On the other hand, our beloved Flyers have once again been rejected by the cool lunch table known as the Big East teams. I would argue this situtuation has just opened up an opportunity for our Flyers to renew one of our oldest and storied rivalries in the UC Bearcats. It's time to make lemonade boys.

Look, UC has to be looking for ways to improve their out of conference strength of schedule and on the other hand UD has to be looking for ways to get a marquee name on the schedule. This would seem to be a win/ win for both programs. If I were UD's administration, I would approach UC with the idea of renewing the rivalry at US Bank Arena. I would also include this neutral site game in the current season ticket package to ensure great attendance from the Flyer Faithful.

I would sell this game to UC as a way of isolating Xavier. Look, no matter which way you cut it, Xavier will always play second fidle to UC in the Cincinnati market. Xavier could join the Big Ten tomorrow and they'd still be seen as the little guy in the city of Cincinnati. It's just a fact of life.

Xavier is going to take a PR hit for killing the UD rivalry game. (in both markets) On the other hand, UC has the opportunity to look like the good guys here and steal a little thunder by saying, we'll play the Flyers! On top of that, knowing Mick Cronin, he'd be all for renewing this traditonal rivalrly. It's also an opportunity for both programs to play up the regional rivalry in an attempt to mimimize the Xavier rivalry. Steal some of their thunder so to speak. I would even push for the UD vs UC game to be part of rivalry week over the Xavier vs UC game. I would try to market the crap out of this game, to make it bigger than the "Cross Town Classic." Give it a catchy name and throw in a travel trophy, promote the heck out the thing. Send a message to Xavier that no matter what league they are in they are still the third place team in the market when your talking about fan bases in southern Ohio. Come on UD, get this game back on the schedule.

I know some of us believe that going over to the UD board now is taboo, but I go there occasionally for the entertainment, especially now with those hillbillies in limbo.

Did you guys know that Xavier is going to take a PR hit for killing the UD rivalry game?

[muskiefan82]

Ummmm...........who is the rival Dayton team? I am unaware of a rival team by that name. I remember a team named Dayton that has lost every game they've played against Xavier in Cincinnati since I have been going to the games (82-83 season), but not a rival. Strange that there might be another team with the same name that is a rival and I don't know who they are? Does Dayton, KY have a Division 1 team?

[Milhouse]

I read it occasionally and I find it hysterical how much Xavier Envy there is over there. It's just ridiculous.

If they focused on their own program as much as they focused on us maybe they'd actually be somewhere.

[DC Muskie]

Xavier could join the Big Ten tomorrow and they'd still be seen as the little guy in the city of Cincinnati. It's just a fact of life.[/I]

My God, if we joined the Big Ten that would mean we have a huge football program, one that's on par with Ohio State.

Do you think people actually think about the utter nonsense they write when they try and make comparisons like this? It's a fact of life that if Xavier was in one of , if not THE richest atheltic conference in the country, it would still be the little guy to UC? Ummm...okay.

It's a fact that my completely made up, pulled out of my ass analogy, is true. When clearly it wouldn't.

I like how this guy thinks that Dayton and UC putting together a rivalry game in Cincinnati no less, and "market the crap out of it" will somehow, someway isolate Xavier.

Then all of sudden we move down a peg to third most important because hey regular sports fan, UC and Dayton are playing in a shitbox! "ShitBox Shootout!" That's what you can call it actually.

Two shitbox teams playing in a shitbox gym. Make a toilet the trophy and then call the trophy the "Handshake." Dayton fans would surely get fired up to win the "Handshake" trophy for sure. Yup UD admins, make this game happen!

Not our rivals.

[GoMuskies]

Dayton should totally get a home and home going with NKU. That would show us.

[Muskie]

maybe they'll also register a website called daytonhoops.com to outflank xavier message boards .. seriously I stopped paying attention to these guys right around February 17, 2013.