Flyers in peak form as OSU game looms

TODAY’S GAME

Dayton vs. Ohio State, 12:15 p.m., WHIO, 1290, 95.7

The Flyers had to restrain themselves Wednesday. The fans wanted NBA Jam. The team just needed a typical, boring practice, one more time before beginning their NCAA tournament journey.

“Dunk the ball!” one fan shouted.

The Flyers complied at times, throwing down a few at the First Niagara Center as UD cheerleaders led the crowd in “Let’s go Flyers!” chants. The players did not slam with the reckless abandon they showed at a closed-door dunk contest earlier this season. Six players competed for title of dunk champion but no clear winner emerged. Jordan Sibert and Dyshawn Pierre would seem to be the favorites in such a contest.

“Dyshawn has the ability to be the best dunker,” said an impartial observer, Matt Kavanaugh. “Jordan shows it in the games.”

Kavanaugh himself had one of the most memorable dunks of the season, a thunderous slam in the second half at Saint Louis.

“That brought the house down,” the senior from Centerville said.

Any type of dunk today will do the same. The No. 11 seed Flyers (23-10) meet their neighbors to the east, No. 6 seed Ohio State (25-9), at 12:15 p.m. in the second round of the NCAA tournament. The winner plays No. 3 seed Syracuse (27-5) or No. 14 seed Western Michigan (23-9) on Saturday.

The dunks will entertain, but defense will probably win this game. The Buckeyes rank 12th in the nation in scoring defense (59.8). They didn’t allow more than 70 points in a game in their first 15 games.

The Flyers, by comparison, rank 103rd in scoring defense (67.6). They have improved as the season has progressed, however, giving up 70 or fewer points in nine of their last 13 games. They allowed 62.8 points per game during a six-game winning streak in February.

“Sometimes you can be a good team defense, but they’ve got great individual defenders,” Dayton coach Archie Miller said Wednesday. “If Shannon Scott was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, I wouldn’t have been surprised. Him and (Aaron) Craft together are probably two of the best perimeter on-ball defenders that you’re going to get.

“Lenzelle (Smith Jr.) is very experienced. He’s been in championship games, and he defends. You look at Amir Williams. When you have a rim protector like that around the basket, it’s very difficult.”

Dayton has dramatically improved its turnover numbers since Feb. 1. That’s a stat that could tell the story of this game.

Ohio State ranks 18th in the country in turnover margin and has forced at least 10 turnovers in all but four games.

“You can’t turn the ball over against Ohio State,” Miller said, “because in transition, they really can cave you in with big runs, and they can change the flow of a game defense to offense.”

The senior guard Craft is the Big Ten’s career leader in steals (333). The Flyers know all about him. Who doesn’t?

“Craft is a great player,” Dayton senior Devin Oliver said. “He plays extremely hard. From what I’ve seen over the course of my career, watching him play, he plays extremely hard and he has a will to win. We’ve just got to match up with that hard play.”

Ohio State may be known more for its defense this season, but it has a balanced offensive attack led by 6-foot-8 forward LaQuinton Ross (15.4 points per game) and Smith Jr. (11.1). Craft, Williams, Scott and Sam Thompson all average between seven and 10 points per game.

In that way, Ohio State is a lot like the Flyers. They depend on a number of different players for offense and aren’t likely to have a guy score 30 points.

“I don’t think they’ve seen anybody that’s guarded as well as we do,” Smith Jr. said. “So if it turns into a scoring game, they have to face a defense that they’ve never seen. We’ve obviously got to find a way to get the ball in the bucket. I’m confident in our team. We have multiple weapons. You never know who’s going to show up each game.”

Despite Ohio State’s strong defense, its tournament experience and its senior leadership in Craft, the Flyers like their chances. They found their peak form at the end of the season, playing well even in the loss to Saint Joseph’s in the A-10 tournament. Most would call it an upset if the Flyers win — but not a shocker.

“As we approached our finish, I really felt like we were playing the best all season that we’ve played,” Miller said. “Our defense has really gotten better in the back 10 games. It gave us a chance to win big games, in particular on the road.”