I do a fair amount of griping about the SWAC teams and their 300+ RPIs that litter the Jays schedule. Here's what I do in the privacy of my home: I put on my best medieval garb, pretend to be John Malkovich, and run around telling all of the SWAC teams that they mock me.
Mississippi Valley State? You have four "S"s, four "I"s, and only two "P"s. You mock me.
Southern? Unless there's a guy named "Southern" that you're named for, there's no excuse for your genericness. You mock me.
Arkansas Pine-Bluff? Even the Washington Generals would beat these guys. You mock me.
Tonight, we will not be watching a SWAC team mock us. We'll be welcoming in a team on the cusp of the Top 25, an Atlantic 10 team that may well be the best team on the schedule -- including the Valley slate. Tonight, its the Dayton Flyers in town to take on the Jays in what will be an extraordinarily entertaining game.
The last time Dayton visited Omaha, the result was a double-overtime thriller that the Jays won 91-90. Known colloquially as "The Nate Funk Game", the Jays guard went off for 38 points in 45 minutes of action. Jays fans remember this game fondly. Hell, I would, if I was there. Because I'm a freaking genius the likes of which the world envies and the universe looks up to, I chose the Dayton game as the one which I donated my tickets to the United Way Auction at my employer. It was Thanksgiving weekend, and I was going to be out of state visiting the parents anyway, so it made sense at the time.
I made note of the experience in a column I used to write for a certain free newspaper:
Saturday we went to a bonfire party. Fire, beer, beer, fire. Can't go wrong here. The whole time we're sitting out there, I pretended to have to go to the bathroom a lot. This was so I could check the score of the Creighton-Dayton game on the radio. Hey, its a better excuse than I kept running back to The Colorado to "warm up" or "blow my nose" or "stretch" when what I was really doing was "checking the score of the Creighton game" on the radio. Right? You bet. So first they're tied at the half. Then they're down 11 late in the game. Next score I get they're in Overtime, up four with 13 seconds left. I come back later expecting to hear a final score, only they're now in Double Overtime. I hear Funk hit the game winning shot, and the faint sound of the people who paid $200 for my seats cheering.
"The Colorado" was the name of my pickup, if that makes the above crappy paragraph make sense. Stories like this could never happen now. I'd be on my phone or my iPod Touch following every play of the game, and my acting chops wouldn't be tested in trying to convince people my bladder was small. Yeah, I don't know why I'd be misty for those days either.
Incidentally, Dayton fans don't have such wispy memories of that game. They've referred to Omaha as "Homerha" ever since, because Nate Funk was 15-18 of the foul stripe and the Jays took 36 free throws to Dayton's 15. I'm told the reason for this is that Dayton offered to pay off the refs with Monopoly money, while the Jays offered American Greenbacks.
In all seriousness, I've since watched film of the game, and it was a case of the Jays players attacking the rim and drawing contact. Dayton settled for jump shots, and you're just not going to get foul calls as often on jump shots. The Jays have been on the other side of that situation many times, often right here in Omaha. There were no shenanigans going on, and to suggest otherwise is sour grapes.
*****
Dayton comes into tonight's game 8-0, which is the first time in 441 games that Dana Altman has faced a team with that record. Somewhere, a deranged fan is making a smart-ass comment about non-conference schedule strength. That fan is not me.
Their 8-0 record is solidified by neutral court wins over Auburn and especially Marquette, who was ranked #15 at the time. Funny thing is, Dayton's coach Brian Gregory told local radio personality Matt Perrault that the Jays are the best team they've played so far. I believe his quote was along the lines of "Marquette will be good by the end of the year, but right now, Creighton is best we've played".
When I hear those quotes, I always remember my days growing up in Iowa where football coach Hayden Fry could make the worst team sound downright dangerous. He'd try to convince you that Southwest Tulsa Tech State could beat the Hawks despite all evidence to the contrary, because clearly they were the best team they'd played so far.
Creighton is good, but the best team Dayton's played so far? Flattering, but at this point in time, I don't think so. The Jays have played one solid game, and a collection of half-games.
One Big Paragraph With Lots O'Dots(TM): Two of Dayton's better players may not be a factor tonight. Starting forward Charles Little, third on the team in scoring (8.3) and rebounds (5.0), has a knee injury, will not start, and may only get limited minutes. Backup point guard Stephen Thomas will not be in Omaha due to a death in the family ... Chris Wright, whose injury derailed the Flyers season last year, is back and once again dominating opponents. His 13.6 points per game and 7.3 boards lead the team ... The Flyers defense has been stifling, holding teams to 54 points and 33% shooting, while forcing 17 turnovers a game ... Coach Brian Gregory is in his sixth year, going 106-60 with two postseason trips.
The Last Time They Met: Dayton jumped out to an early lead, and took a 32-19 lead into the locker room. A 15-2 Creighton run tied the game, but the Jays never took the lead and ultimately fell 60-54. Omaha residents will remember this as the first ESPNU telecast we were able to watch at home, as Cox finally added the channel so we could watch the Jays play horribly for the first 20 minutes.
Gratuitous Linkage: Rickey Henderson was a trash talker the likes of which the sporting world will never again see. This is the guy who once checked into a hotel under the name "Richard Pryor" because using that name would attract less attention than Rickey. Seriously. There's too many great stories to list. Or is there? This list compiled the 25 best. Do yourself a favor and read them, its hilarious.
Official Game-Time Snack: Baby Ruth candy bars. If we're gonna be known as Homerha by Dayton fans, lets at least eat a snack that most people wrongly believe is named for the original homerun king.
The totally random song I'd play right now if were still a DJ: Don't Cry by my boys, Guns N' Roses. Don't you cry, tonight, Dayton fans, don't you cry-y-y tonight, there's a heaven ABOVE you babay, don't you cry-y-y tonight!
I kid, Dayton, I kid. I hope this series continues, because we have so much in common. We both hate Xavier's Sean Miller, we're both solid programs from solid leagues who have trouble getting good opponents, and we're both Catholic universities. I kid because I care, so don't get the wrong idea here. For example, I don't give this kind of grief to Evansville, and they're in the MVC! You should be flattered I took the time to do it.
True story to segue you into that song: When Use Your Illusion came out, I was a freshman in high school. This was the music of my youth. Anyway, I once got into a fight with a guy who mistakenly thought he was tough because he had a jean jacket and long hair, forgetting that sweet moves make the fighter, not the wardrobe. Otherwise, any jackass in stars-and-stripes shorts could have beat up Apollo Creed.
The gist of the argument was whether the version of "Don't Cry" with the original lyrics from UYI I was better, or the version with modified lyrics from UYI II was better. Kids are stupid, aren't they? Maybe not: by not fighting on school property, I was able to kick his butt AND not get suspended. Oh, and the original lyrics are better. You bet.
Prediction: Jays 70, Dayton 67
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