Dayton Flyers are Jekyll and Hyde

Obviously one wont know this year from game to game whether Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde will be wearing University of Dayton basketball uniforms. First, it was the ferocious Mr. Hyde wearing the road blues when the Flyers won the Old Spice Classic in Disney World, beating the University of Minnesota in the final. Then mild-mannered Dr. Jekyll, wearing a white lab coat, showed up when the Flyers were annihilated at home by the University of Buffalo and unzipped and depantsed at Murray State. So who would show up Wednesday night in University of Dayton Arena for a game against 15th-ranked University of Alabama? It was, most definitely, the menacing Mr. Hyde as the Flyers cold-cocked the Crimson Tide, 74-62. With high-decibel support from the fans and the Red Scare student section, the Flyers came out with fire in their eyes and smoldering ashes in their bellies. With Alabama coach and former Flyer player Anthony Grant watching in stunned disbelief, the Flyers nearly ran the Crimson Tide back to Tuscaloosa before the half. With the score 6-6, Alabama star Jamychal Green nearly decapitated UDs Matt Kavanage and was called for a flagrant foul.Kavanaugh made both free throws and the Flyers kept possession after the flagrant foul and Chris Johnson hit an outside shot for a 10-6 lead. It sparked a 9-0 UD spurt and Green picked up his third foul en route to a seat on the bench after playing only four minutes in the first half. Johnson, on his way to 20 points, swishes a three-pointer late in the half to give the Flyers a 38-22 lead before Alabama cut it to 38-27 by halftime as Josh Parker came off the bench to score 12 first-half points. Alabama came to town with a defense that was holding the opposition to 53 points a game, was holding the opposition to 33 per cent shooting and holding the opposition to 24 per cent three-point shooting. The Crimson Tide was 7-1, losing their previous game to Georgetown on a buzzer-beater shot. But at the half, the Flyers had shot 64 per cent and were 3 for 8 from the three-point line. And UD turned in the better defensive effort, clogging the middle and forcing Alabama to 3 for 12 from three-point land. Alabama has some great front-court players and we tried to crowd them because they are such great forces, said UD coach Archie Miller. We tried to surround them as best we could to protect our players from foul trouble. One thing we couldnt let happen was for Alabama to score threes on us. Threes are what buried the Flyers against Buffalo and tossed dirt on them against Murray State. On Wednesday? Missions accomplished. Was it over at halftime? Well, it seemed that way when the Flyers stayed in charge with K-9 defense and point guard Kevin Dillard handling the full-court press early in the second half. With 12 minutes to go, the Flyers were in command, 56-40, and the fans were rattling the rafters. Suddeny, Dr. Jekyll showed up. Several turnovers popped out of nowhere and Alabama went on a 13-1 run and suddenly it was 57-53. It was if Bama coach Grant suddenly remembered what he saw in the video of the UD-Buffalo game when Buffalo played a zone defense the entire game and the Flyers treated it like a Rubiks Cube. They never solved it. During the run, the Tide employed a zone and the Flyers couldnt find a decent shot. Was it el foldo time? Was it Back to the Future? Kevin Dillard said, Not this time, baby. He solved the zone the way zones are best solved. He buried two straight three-pointers, pushing the Flyers back to a 63-53 lead. And Bama lost its resolve as the Flyers steadily pulled away, the lead reaching 71-57 at the two-minute mark when Paul Williams dropped in a three-pointer. All in all, a great team win from a team that had to bounce back from a couple of horrible efforts, said Miller. Our team played to win tonight and that was great to see. While Chris Johnson led the point parade with 20, the night belonged to the diminutive but bolt-quick point guard, Kevin Dillard. He scored 14 points, grabbed eight rebounds (despite being the smallest guy on the floor) and passed out six assists. Most importantly, though, was the way he directed traffic against Alabamas press, enabling him to penetrate and find open teammates for easy baskets. Their pressure was something that really concerned us, said Miller. We felt just like we did for the Minnesota game. If we could crack it (the press) we would get some opportunities without the set offense. Kevin Dillard made some great plays and Paul Williams made a couple of great plays. On this night, Dr. Jekyll spent most of his time on the bench while Mr. Hyde wreaked havoc.