Flyers set to take on defending national champ
March 22, 2009
Posted March 22, 2009 12:48 p.m. CST
By Cory Griffin
cory.griffin@gmail.com
MINNEAPOLIS- In about a half hour, the University of Dayton men's basketball team will take the court against the defending national champion and No. 3 seed Kansas Jayhawks in the Metrodome for a chance to move on to the Sweet 16.
Kansas is led by point guard Sherron Collins and center Cole Aldrich, and the Flyers will need to key in on those two guys on defense if they want to move on to Indianapolis next week.
Luckily for Dayton, two of their stronger defensive players in point guard London Warren and center Kurt Huelsman will be guarding the pair. However, foul trouble could make the game difficult for the Flyers should those two be forced to sit early.
Dayton head coach Brian Gregory elected to put Mickey Perry in Friday's game against West Virginia before Stephen Thomas, which was probably for defensive purposes. Expect Perry to see the Floor on defense as well guarding Collins.
Also a key note is that senior Charles Little currently stands at 990 points for his career, meaning a double-digit performance would put him over the 1,000 point barrier.
Finally, expect the Jayhawks to overplay sophomore forward Chris Wright and try and get him into foul trouble. There has been a lot of national attention on the 6-foot-8 high-flyer, and having him in foul trouble would definitely be a big blow for Dayton.
To win this game, the Flyers will need to control the transition game, and be able to create easy shots throughout the day. They will also need to stop Collins and Aldrich.
Is a Sweet 16 berth in Dayton's future? It's hard to say, but don't be surprised if this team marches on. They have been extremely motivated and confident the past couple of days, and have been able to shut out the national pressure surrounding the game.
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