Addendum: kudos to both coaches to not calling needless timeouts or sending guys to make intentional fouls in the final two mins but instead to recognize that the game was over and decided.

What a great game. Jones, Drumgoole, and Autry with incredible performances. Defense by Hansen and Castro were top notch as was the help defense. Nothing came too easy for Dayton which was great to see. Rotations were on point and the guards helping with rebounding was key.

Shooting 15-31 from three is insane. Not sure we've seen too many shooting perofrmances better than that over the past 5-6 years.

Kudos to Caputo for starting Jones over Jacoi. CJ has looked good this season and fully deserved it. Something must still be up with Jacoi as he's not had a good game in what must be almost a month. Still, we'll need his ball handling and calm demeanor in future games.

Finally, saw this stat earlier and it blew my mind. GW is 16-5 at home against Dayton since 1996. I would have never thought that would be the case:

https://x.com/DavidPJablonski/status/1875618707965407702

Raise High

Watched Coach’s post game.  A few thoughts.

1.  Felt it was an honest answer to the Miami question. 
2. Respect his ownership on his own mistakes - talked about saving the time out in UR game but realizes now it was a mistake
3.  Great answer on how to create poise for this generation  that watches highlights on their phone.  Bad things happen all the time - it is how you respond.

Well, now I know why I was so upset after the Richmond loss (who won again today at UMASS so maybe I'm just plain wrong about the Spiders).  It's because I knew GW was capable of playing so much better.  Some thoughts not otherwise covered for the most part:

1) Not to make counterintuitive excuses for Dayton but the Jun injury played very well into GW's hands.  Given how we play, I would think that a great deal of Dayton's game plan preparation dealt with how to best defend him.  Not only does Jun not play but we essentially play a different style of play throughout the game, one which the Flyers could not have possibly seen on tape.

2) Believe it or not, the line remained at +8 1/2 despite word on Jun's injury having to have to have come out before the tip (though Dayton moved to -120).  As Lee Corso likes to say in comparable situations, "somebody knew something."

3) The wire to wire win was filled with great defense, from holding Cheeks to 1-9 shooting  (coming off a 26 point game) to keeping who I feel is the league's best point guard in Malachi Smith in check.  The cautionary note is that it's very easy to get yourself ready to play against Dayton.  The same defensive intensity needs to become a staple of this team during all of its games.  Very hard to achieve but not impossible with the right mindset.

4) For assistance, GW should watch how Dayton defended throughout most of the second half.  They contested everything.  Their determination brought them back into the game.  

5) Despite this pressure, GW's light bulb eventually came on in the second half (courtesy of some outrageously good three point shooting) as the team decided that today was going to be their day.  Many former teams would have wilted upon similar circumstances.

6) Dayton hating to play at GW is a real thing.  It's crazy since they normally arrive with both more fans and talent.  But just in case you need reminding...

TJ Thompson drove coast to coast to beat them
Wynton Witherspoon got them at the buzzer.
Joe McDonald's putback was a game winner
MoJo beat them
CC is 2-0 at home against them

Won't even mention a certain dagger from around midcourt since that took place at Dayton.

7) This could not have possibly been a more timely performance.  Whatever confidence that ended up deflated in Richmond was restored today.  

8) Next up is URI who won on a buzzer beater today against Mason.  They are improved and GW will not even need to take a plane to get there after today.  Hoping to see a confident group who knows it can play well even on the road.

gwstudent2024 wrote:

FredD wrote:

Any links to a Dayton message board? Thanks!

https://www.udpride.com/forums/mens-basketball/george-washington-game-thread/

THANKS!!!

Reading the Dayton board and confused how they say the physical play was to our benefit- in the eye of the beholder I guess?

GWMayhem mentioned that one reason we may have caught Dayton off guard was because we seemed to play a different game without Jun, that they hadn’t prepared for. That very well may be the case, but I also think playing without Jun may have freed up GW’s offense today as well.

While I am a big Jun fan (especially his leadership when on the court), he tends to be a big ISO player and sometimes gums up the works of the offense. I look to the end of the Richmond game where the ball stayed in his hands for long periods of time wasting clock and not necessarily putting him or the offense in the best position to score. He may very well be our best player, but his ball dominance may prove to hinder rather than enhance the teammates around him.

With that said, I still very much want him out there, but maybe taking the ball more in the post than at the top of the key.

Free Quebec wrote:

As the day has gone on, for whatever reason, our KenPom has climbed to 115.

That’s our highest since a loss to Penn St on November 26, 2016 (we were 110 going into that game).

Richmond beating Umass on the road is probably why

Incredible 3 point shooting. Reminds me of how AU shot 3's against us. Glad a lot of people got to play and rose up to their abilities.  Extremely happy we didn't fold and played aggressively. Good night where two of my teams were big underdogs and won. UT is another matter. 

Credit to the coaching staff for putting out a good game plan and bouncing back from the disappointment at Richmond. The team was not intimidated. Defense was intense. Very few mental errors. If Christian Jones does not start, I doubt that we would have won. He has become my favorite player. He has a great upside. Tough defense. His motor never stops. He drives to the hoop. His three point shooting today was superb. I believe he has the most upside of any player on the team With three more years of eligibility, he will  become a star. What about Buchanan. A turnover waiting to happen. Handles the ball too much. Poor foul shooting during clutch moments. If his foul shooting was better, we would have beaten AU. I would play Buchanan less. Keep the ball out of his hands and bench him during the last two minutes of each half. Buchanan is highly over rated by many posters on this board. NBA -I think not.