UD shows it can compete against top-level foes
Flyers have a better record against BCS schools than A-10 teams since 2006.
Senior center Kurt Huelsman earned a starting job from his first game as a freshman at the University of Dayton, and the St. Henry product didn?t exactly get a chance to ease into that role.
He was pitted against a pair of All-Americans in the first two months of the season, facing Pittsburgh 7-footer Aaron Gray and North Carolina star Tyler Hansbrough.
?It was crazy,? Huelsman said. ?As a senior (in high school), you?re watching those guys on TV on ESPN, and the next thing you know, you?re standing right next to them going against them. It throws you for a loop.?
Both players had solid games ? Gray five points and 15 rebounds and Hansbrough 17 points and three boards ? but Huelsman didn?t come away from those encounters with his confidence in tatters. And although UD lost each game by 30, he also felt upbeat about what the youthful Flyers could accomplish in the future.
?We knew eventually we would get to that point,? he said.
In some ways, the Flyers closed the gap even quicker than maybe Huelsman expected. They?re 9-6 against BCS conference teams in the last four seasons, and all but one of those 15 opponents (Cincinnati this year) have finished in the upper echelon of their leagues. One fairly remarkable aspect of that record is that only one of the games was played at UD Arena.
The Flyers actually have a better winning percentage against BCS schools (.600) than Atlantic 10 teams (.540) in that span.
?What are we against the Big East, 6-2? We?re in the wrong league,? UD coach Brian Gregory cracked.
While their two wins over Louisville came when Cardinal star Scott Padgett was either recovering from a knee injury or sitting out altogether, the other four Big East wins don?t require an asterisk.
The Flyers avenged that 30-point loss to Pitt by trouncing the eventual Big East tourney champions by 25 points at home the next year. UD will get another shot at a BCS opponent when it plays Mississippi of the Southeastern Conference in the NIT semifinals Tuesday, March 30.
?At times, we may be built for those teams,? Gregory said. ?We?re big, strong and athletic.?
Another factor, too, may be the hubris of the power conference teams. While A-10 foes do their best to limit the Flyers? transition game, teams from top leagues don?t seem committed to trying anything out of the ordinary to keep UD?s athleticism in check.
?Not many teams are as athletic as us,? Huelsman said. ?When we stick to playing our basketball, our coaches know how to get the best out of each individual.?
Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin scolded his team for underestimating the Flyers in an 81-66 NIT loss on Monday. Asked if he thought UD is catching other teams off guard, Huelsman said, ?You want to think they take us seriously, seeing what we?ve done in the past and knowing what we?re capable of.?
Flyers have a better record against BCS schools than A-10 teams since 2006.
Senior center Kurt Huelsman earned a starting job from his first game as a freshman at the University of Dayton, and the St. Henry product didn?t exactly get a chance to ease into that role.
He was pitted against a pair of All-Americans in the first two months of the season, facing Pittsburgh 7-footer Aaron Gray and North Carolina star Tyler Hansbrough.
?It was crazy,? Huelsman said. ?As a senior (in high school), you?re watching those guys on TV on ESPN, and the next thing you know, you?re standing right next to them going against them. It throws you for a loop.?
Both players had solid games ? Gray five points and 15 rebounds and Hansbrough 17 points and three boards ? but Huelsman didn?t come away from those encounters with his confidence in tatters. And although UD lost each game by 30, he also felt upbeat about what the youthful Flyers could accomplish in the future.
?We knew eventually we would get to that point,? he said.
In some ways, the Flyers closed the gap even quicker than maybe Huelsman expected. They?re 9-6 against BCS conference teams in the last four seasons, and all but one of those 15 opponents (Cincinnati this year) have finished in the upper echelon of their leagues. One fairly remarkable aspect of that record is that only one of the games was played at UD Arena.
The Flyers actually have a better winning percentage against BCS schools (.600) than Atlantic 10 teams (.540) in that span.
?What are we against the Big East, 6-2? We?re in the wrong league,? UD coach Brian Gregory cracked.
While their two wins over Louisville came when Cardinal star Scott Padgett was either recovering from a knee injury or sitting out altogether, the other four Big East wins don?t require an asterisk.
The Flyers avenged that 30-point loss to Pitt by trouncing the eventual Big East tourney champions by 25 points at home the next year. UD will get another shot at a BCS opponent when it plays Mississippi of the Southeastern Conference in the NIT semifinals Tuesday, March 30.
?At times, we may be built for those teams,? Gregory said. ?We?re big, strong and athletic.?
Another factor, too, may be the hubris of the power conference teams. While A-10 foes do their best to limit the Flyers? transition game, teams from top leagues don?t seem committed to trying anything out of the ordinary to keep UD?s athleticism in check.
?Not many teams are as athletic as us,? Huelsman said. ?When we stick to playing our basketball, our coaches know how to get the best out of each individual.?
Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin scolded his team for underestimating the Flyers in an 81-66 NIT loss on Monday. Asked if he thought UD is catching other teams off guard, Huelsman said, ?You want to think they take us seriously, seeing what we?ve done in the past and knowing what we?re capable of.?
