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UD faces elite field in Puerto Rico

Flyers tip off against a Yellow Jackets team with a talented freshman and high expectations.

Graphic by Ted Pitts Puerto Rico Tip-Off Bracket

By Doug Harris, Staff Writer Updated 8:45 AM Thursday, November 19, 2009

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — University of Dayton coach Brian Gregory thumbed through a Georgia Tech media guide before his basketball team’s practice at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico on Wednesday, Nov. 18, and talked about the profuse amount of talent assembled by that Atlantic Coast Conference program.

But Gregory could have picked up the media brochure of any team in the Puerto Rico Tip-off Classic field and said virtually the same thing.

Villanova is ranked fifth nationally, UD 18th and Georgia Tech 21st. Kansas State and Mississippi are receiving votes in the polls.

Indiana is on the rebound, George Mason has won 90 games the past four years, and Boston University is picked to win the American East Conference.

“This is a monster,” Gregory said.

But that’s not to say the seventh-year coach is shuddering over facing Georgia Tech at 11:30 a.m. today — or anyone else after that. The Flyers are 4-0 against the Big East since 2007-08, beating Louisville, Pittsburgh, Marquette and West Virginia. UD is 6-2 against schools from BCS conferences in that span.

Asked to explain his success, Gregory said: “I think any time your focus is on defense and rebounding, you’ve got a chance to be successful. In addition to that, we have a lot of guys who are good enough to play at that level. Maybe the talent difference is not as great.”

The Yellow Jackets were 12-19 overall and 2-14 in the ACC last season, but they were picked to finish fourth in the 12-team conference this season. Freshman forward Derrick Favors was named the league’s preseason rookie of the year.

“As experienced as (the Flyers are) and given what they accomplished last year, we’ll know an awful lot about our team,” Tech coach Paul Hewitt said. “They’re going to throw a lot of stuff at us. Our guys are going to have to grow up quickly or go home with an L.”