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BYU is leaving the Mountain West Conference (Utah had earlier announced it was leaving the MWC for the Pac-10). It however is not going to the WAC as was the original plan. With the MWC's recent premptive raid of Nevada and Fresno State from the WAC, BYU has instead decided to join the West Coast Conference for all sports but football which will go indepndent. BYU will join Gonzaga and St. Mary's as the top hoops teams in the WCC.

The changes out west have some impact on the ranking of basketball leagues. The MWC, which is usually close to the A-10 (leagues were #6 and #7 in RPI last yr), is sure to drop as none of its new members (Boise State, Nevada, and Fresno State) is regualrly at the level of BYU or Utah. While Nevada has a decent program, Boise State and Nevada are not. The WCC should improve its standing (it was 13th in RPI) but it should not be enough to challenge the A-10 as it has many weak members.



http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=5517305

http://www.foxsportsohio.com/pages/oncampus_xavier

It's nice to see that Xavier takes care of their own after they are done on the court, and I'm sure that there are examples of the same from other A10 programs, just can't think of them right now.

Oh and McLean is stepping into his own...

Saint Louis senior outside hitter Megan Boken (Wheaton, Ill. / St. Francis) was recognized as the Atlantic 10 Conference volleyball Defensive Player of the Week for the period ending Aug. 29.

Quote: Originally Posted by Flyer75 (Post 6357856)
Yahoo is previewing the A10 all week. More from The Dagger's A-10 Preview:

• MONDAY: How Xavier rose from humble origins
• TUESDAY: Atlantic 10 projections, five storylines to watch
• WEDNESDAY: An ex-player forecasts the A-10
• THURSDAY: 15 must-see A-10 games
• FRIDAY: Q&A with Dayton freshman Juwan Staten
Atlantic 10 projections, five storylines to watch (Yahoo! - August 31, 2010)

1 Temple
2 Xavier
3 Dayton
4 Saint Louis
5 Richmond

6 Charlotte
7 Rhode Island
8 Duquesne
9 La Salle

10 George Washington
11 St. Bonavanture
12 UMass
13 St. Joeseph's

14 Fordham


Quote: Originally Posted by Run49er on August 18, 2010 (Post 6352012)
ESPN.com: Summer Shootaround: Atlantic 10

Jay Bilas sees the A-10 in 2010-11 as such:

1 Xavier
2 Dayton
3 Temple
4 Richmond
5 Saint Louis

6 Charlotte
7 Rhode Island
8 Duquesne
9 La Salle

10 St. Bonavanture
11 UMass
12 St. Joseph's
13 George Washington

14 Fordham Quote: Originally Posted by Muddy Waters on August 19, 2010 (Post 6352426)
Ol' Muddy sees the A-10 in 2010-11 as such:

First Tier:

1 Xavier
2 Dayton
3 Temple
4 Richmond
5 Saint Louis

Second Tier:

6 Charlotte
7 Rhode Island
8 Duquesne
9 La Salle

Third Tier:

10 St. Bonavanture
11 UMass
12 St. Joesph's
13 George Washington

Fourth Tier:

14 Fordham

. . . essentially the same finishing order as Jay Bilas predicts, but with the teams within any given Tier being interchangeable, meaning that any of the first five teams listed could be the best team in the Atlantic 10 this season.

I'm starting this thread as a "catch-all" for the upcoming Dayton Flyers basketball season, and would encourage fans of the other 13 Atlantic 10 schools to start similar "information" threads, to be updated throughout the preseason and regular season.

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Dayton Flyers 2010-11 Schedule & Results (incomplete) (daytonflyers.com)

Nov. 02, 2010 (Tuesday) - Grand Valley State (Exhibition) - Home
Nov. 06, 2010 (Saturday) - Findlay - (Exhibition) - Home
Nov. 13, 2010 (Saturday) - Mount Saint Mary's - Home
Nov. 16, 2010 (Tuesday) - Akron - Home
Nov. 20, 2010 (Saturday) - Ole Miss - Away
Nov. 22, 2010 (Monday) - Savannah State - Home
Nov. 24, 2010 (Wednesday) - Florida A&M - Home
Nov. 27, 2010 (Saturday) - Cincinnati - U.S. Bank Arena
Dec. 01, 2010 (Wednesday) - East Tennessee State - Home
Dec. 04, 2010 (Saturday) - Miami - Home
Dec. 07, 2010 (Tuesday) - Central Connecticut State - Home
Dec. 11, 2010 (Saturday) - Old Dominion - Away
Dec. 18, 2010 (Saturday) - Western Carolina - Home
Dec. 20, 2010 (Monday) - Winthrop - Home
Dec. 22, 2010 (Wednesday) - Seton Hall - Away
Dec. 29, 2010 (Wednesday) - George Mason - Home
Jan. 01, 2011 (Saturday) - New Mexico - Home


Dayton Flyers 2010-11 Roster (daytonflyers.com)

Dayton Flyers 2010-11 Roster

Code:         Name                  Year            Pos. Height        Weight        Home Town
                                               
1        Devin Searcy        Senior            F/C        6' 10"        226 lbs        Romulus, MI
2        Josh Benson        RS Soph.    F/C        6' 9"        223 lbs        Dayton, OH
3        Matt Kavanaugh        Sophomore    F/C        6' 9"        250 lbs        Centerville, OH
                                               
4        Luke Fabrizius        Junior            F        6' 9"        228 lbs        Arlington Heights, IL
5        Chris Wright        Senior            F        6' 8"        226 lbs        Trotwood, OH
6        Devin Oliver        Freshman    F        6' 7"        200 lbs        Kalamazoo, MI
7        Chris Johnson        Junior            F        6' 6"        201 lbs        Columbus, OH
8        Ralph Hill        Freshman    F        6' 6"        210 lbs        Westerville, OH

9        Paul Williams        Junior      SG        6' 4"        212 lbs        Detroit, MI
10        Brandon Spearman  Freshman    SG        6' 3"        194 lbs        Chicago, IL

11        Juwan Staten        Freshman    PG        6' 0"        189 lbs        Dayton, OH
12        Josh Parker        RS Junior    PG        6' 0"        186 lbs        Harvey, IL

Sitting Out Transfer Year:                                               

13        Kevin Dillard        RS Soph.    PG        6' 0"        170 lbs        Homewood, IL

Non-scholarshipped Players:                                               

        Peter Zestermann  Senior            F  6' 8"        219 lbs        Cincinnati, OH
        Logan Nourse        Senior            G  6' 1"        178 lbs        Spencerville, OH -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flyer Connection (Dayton Daily News - August 29, 2010)

• Junior forward Luke Fabrizius said he’s 100 percent healthy after offseason knee surgery. He’s taking part in team workouts with no restrictions.

• Junior wing Chris Johnson looks ripped, having put on about 15 pounds of muscle since last season. The 6-foot-6 Columbus native, who was named the NIT most valuable player, said he’s 205 pounds and wants to play at 215.

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Quote: Originally Posted by Muddy Waters (Post 6247383)
New Guards Will Boost UD’s Talent Next Season (Doug Harris, DDN - April 3, 2010)

Top recruit Staten will be joined by Parker, who already has been pushing the Flyers in practice.

The Flyers will be counting on some synergy from that duo next season to make up for the loss of seven graduating players. While Staten, who is a senior at the prestigious Oak Hill Academy, is expected to start at the point from the day he steps on campus, the 6-foot Parker is versatile enough to play either guard position.

“He’s got a tremendous work ethic,” UD coach Brian Gregory said. “He can shoot the ball, and he’s got really good ball skills. I think he’s a guy that definitely is going to help us next year.”

Parker may be undersized for a shooting guard, but his chiseled frame will help him compete against taller players.

“He’s strong enough, tough enough and physical enough,” Gregory said, likening Parker to a sturdy tailback. “If he was on the outside of the wishbone, he’d be able to catch that thing and go forever.”

Parker, the son of a minister, has blended in well and considers the Flyers’ chemistry one of their best assets.

“It’s been great to get to know the guys and get to know the coaches,” he said. “They’ve made me one of their own and treated me like nothing but a brother.” Quote: Originally Posted by Muddy Waters (Post 6291794)
Staten’s Shot Looks Good in UD Pickup Games (Doug Harris, DDN - June 3, 2010)

UD’s program may be what Staten needs, but the 6-foot, 180-pound point guard figures to do much to help the Flyers’ cause, too.

He joined several returning players for a series of pickup games at UD Arena on Wednesday and showed why he was rated as one of the top point-guard prospects in the nation.

Opponents had difficulty keeping him out of the lane. When he was cut off, he simply knocked down pull-up jumpers.

“My shot is feeling a whole lot better,” he said. “I’ve done a lot of work on the mechanics, and it feels natural.”

Chris Johnson, Matt Kavanaugh, Josh Parker and Josh Benson all took part in the 90-minute workout.

Although they’ve played with Staten before, they’ve probably never seen him quite so dominant.

“He’s playing with a lot of energy,” Benson said. “If he keeps playing like that, he’ll really help us next year. If he keeps working, he’ll be a heckuva guard in the Atlantic 10.”

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Staten’s Father Sees Flyers Acquiring New Fans (Doug Harris, DDN - June 3, 2010)

Staten looked like a polished college point guard during UD’s pick-up games Wednesday night. His ability to break down the defense off the dribble and score inside is something the Flyers haven’t had at that position in years, maybe decades.

“When you talk about freshmen, there’s always the part that is unknown,” Bill Staten said. “But I think he’s going to surprise a lot of people with how mature he is. He’s always played with older kids anyway.

“He can run a team, he can score and he can defend. People think he’ll struggle on defense, but he’s a better defender than people realize. He has a high basketball IQ.”

Staten led Thurgood Marshall to a state runner-up finish as a junior and then attended Oak Hill Academy for his senior year. He grew an inch and added 10 pounds of muscle during his year away (he’s now 6-foot, 180), and he improved his skills by playing against top-flight competition. Quote: Originally Posted by Muddy Waters (Post 6296222)
Hill Already Feels at Home with Flyers (Doug Harris, DDN - June 10, 2010)

Westerville North’s Ralph Hill will enroll with the other University of Dayton basketball recruits when the second summer-school session starts June 21.

The 6-foot-6 Hill is a versatile forward and is being groomed to be an athletic 4 man in the mold of Charles Little.

He’s bulked up from 195 to 210 since his high school season ended but still has a way to go before acquiring the frame of a power forward.

“I hope to get to 225 before the season starts — and still keep my quickness,” he said. “That’s one of my goals. I want to be big enough to go inside and bang with people.”

UD strength coaches have a penchant for helping players acquire muscle mass, and Hill has no doubt he’ll get there, too.

“They’ll do it for me. Look at everybody,” he said while watching other Flyers during a pick-up game. “Everybody here is ripped.” -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dayton Recruiting (A10 MB thread started July 2, 2009)

Five Question: Jon Borovich, UD Assistant Coach (College ChalkTalk - August 5, 2010)

ESPN Summer Shootaround: Atlantic 10 (A10 MB thread started August 18, 2010)

Atlantic 10 Second Place: Dayton


Five Storylines to Watch Next Season and Atlantic 10 Projections (Yahoo! - August 31, 2010)

Atlantic 10 Third Place: Dayton
Atlantic 10 Player of the Year: Chris Wright
Atlantic 10 Player Top Newcomer: Juwan Staten

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Note that related websites can be accessed from my tag line below with one click:

The Mike McGinty era for Saint Louis men's soccer officially begins Wednesday, Sept. 1, when the 25th-ranked (Soccer America) Billikens travel to Albuquerque, N.M., to face New Mexico at the UNM Soccer Complex. Kickoff is slated for 8 p.m. (CT).

In its only game this week, Saint Louis women's soccer (1-1-2) takes on SMU (1-1-1) Friday, Sept. 3, in Dallas. Game time at Westcott Field is 7 p.m.

The Saint Louis field hockey team continues a season-opening four-game road trip with two tilts in Muncie, Ind. The squad takes on Robert Morris Saturday, Sept. 4, in a noon (CT) contest. The next day, the Billikens face host Ball State in another noon (CT) start.

Yahoo! Homepage

Still Rising



Xavier, led by Chris Mack, has gone from also-ran to mid-major power. Now, the Musketeers want to be an elite program.



How Xavier Basketball Rose from Humble Origins (Jeff Eisenberg, Yahoo! - August 30, 2010)

Marquee schools who once wouldn't dream of deigning to play at Xavier are now clamoring to try to schedule a game. Analysts who once routinely mispronounced the school's name as "Eggs-Avier" are now touting the Musketeers as a budding national power. And fans who once ignored Xavier basketball now show up in droves to support a program that Forbes Magazine ranked the 15th most valuable in the nation this year.

As the Musketeers begin a new season with the chance to win a fifth straight conference title and make a 10th NCAA tournament appearance in 11 seasons, it's still difficult to pinpoint any single individual responsible for the program's steady rise.

It happened because under-recruited players like Byron Larkin, Brian Grant and David West outworked more highly touted peers at big-name schools. It happened because coaches like Pete Gillen, Skip Prosser and Sean Miller left the program in better shape than when they arrived. And it happened because Xavier's administration gradually became convinced a strong basketball program could elevate the university's profile and didn't hesitate to spend the money necessary to help it flourish.

Nicole Kent scored the first goal of the season for Saint Louis, but Ohio tripped up the Billikens 6-1 on Sunday.

Maggie Baumann scored her first goal of the season in the 79th minute, and SLU registered its third consecutive shutout as the Billikens blanked Marist 1-0 Sunday in the Duquesne Classic.

The Saint Louis field hockey team dropped its 2010 season opener 3-0 to Radford. The game was played in Athens, Ohio.

After suffering a pair of five-set losses to start the season, Saint Louis closed the IPFW Invitational on Saturday afternoon with its first win of the 2010 campaign.

This is a good read, for the few of you here who have an interest in college basketball:


Up Three, Should You Foul? Eh, Maybe (SB Nation - August 28, 2010)

Turns out, it doesn't really matter. From the Harvard Sports Analysis Collective:

Quote: Of the 52 teams that committed a foul, six lost the game for a winning percentage of 88.46%.

Of the 391 teams that did not foul, 33 lost the game for a winning percentage of 91.56%.

Both a two sample t test of proportion and a Chi-squared test fail to reject the null hypothesis that there is a difference in winning percentage between the two strategies. In this sample, teams that did not foul won slightly more often.

For the less statistically inclined, this means that there is no significant difference between the two strategies. This is a puzzling result, to say the least.

Intuitively, given that nearly everything that has to go right for the trailing team to tie the game after an intentional foul, it would seem like that would be the clear cut option for the leading team. And a quick thought experiment would seem to back that up.

Saint Louis wrapped up its men's soccer exhibition season Friday night with a 0-0 draw against SIU Edwardsville at Robert R. Hermann Stadium.

Sophomore Alli Reimer fired a game- and career-high five shots to lead SLU to a 15-4 advantage, but the Billikens and Towson played to a 0-0 draw Friday at the Duquesne Classic.

After holding an early lead, Saint Louis suffered a heart-breaking 27-25, 18-25, 25-18, 15-25, 13-15 loss to a more experienced Milwaukee squad in its season opener at the IPFW Invitational in Fort Wayne, Ind., Friday afternoon.

Senior Emily Kryzer gives a behind-the-scenes look at the 2010 Billiken women's soccer team in her blog, "Kickin' It With Kryz."

Retard? Fag? Really? Is that really the best that people here, most, I presume, with a college education, can do? What's next, poopy pants? I like smack as much as the next guy, but the level here has really hit rock bottom. Try to step up with something creative and/or intelligent. Your fellow board trolls will be most appreciative.

Get a behind the scenes look at Billiken field hockey with senior goalie Katherine Deem