Bellbrook graduation 2012
Fairfield Senior 2012 graduation
Kroger Aquatic Center opens
Award-winning columnist Tom Archdeacon — an old-school storyteller in a brand-new venue — writes about sports, the city, southwest Ohio and anything else that catches his fancy… or yours.Home > Blogs > Through the Arch > Archives > 2009 > November > 25
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
UD and WSU Hoops — angst and feeling mighty good
While all the hoops buzz around town the past week or so was about the Dayton Flyers — and rightfully so with that No. 18 ranking as they headed down to San Juan for three games — I’ve got to say Brad Brownell has quietly built himself quite a team this season at Wright State.
You saw signs of that Tuesday night as WSU toyed with Central Michigan before finally pushing the Chippewas aside, 69-53, at the Nutter Center.
This is as good of a Raiders team as I’ve seen around here in a long time. Although there’s no DaShaun Wood, I’d say it is better than the Raiders team who surprised everyone and made the 2007 NCAA Tournament:
Senior forward Todd Brown looks like a man on the court for the Raiders this season. He’s playing with a real confidence now, his outside shot is on the mark — he was 4 for 6 from three-point range Tuesday — and he’ll only get better with the return of Vaughn Duggins.
The junior guard — who had been out of the WSU line-up for a year — returned Tuesday with a 21-point, 5-assist., shut-down defensive effort.
Duggins being on the floor lifts the games of all his teammates.
The 3-1 Raiders are deep this year and they’re playing a stifling defense.
While there is some angst around Flyerland now after a pair of losses to good teams — No. 5 Villanova and Kansas State — the resultant fall from the Top 25 and the prospect that it will be a struggle to return to such lofty status during the next month while playing several teams with little juice when it comes to swaying pollsters, Wright State fans have to be feeling mighty good about their bunch right now.
Once the Flyers get into their A-10 schedule, I think they will acquit themselves quite well again and have a good chance to be every bit that NCAA Tournament team everyone predicted they would be just a week ago.
Even though Butler is figured to be the scourge of the Horizon League this season, don’t discount Wright State. All you need to do is beat the Bulldogs once in the league tournament and the under-manned Raiders nearly did that last season. This team is good enough to finish the task.
If things go as I think they might for both UD and WSU this season, it could be fun around here come mid March.
Tweet
