There were two teams with a high profile entering Atlantic-10 play. Xavier and Dayton each won games against teams from all over the country and were entertaining thoughts of deep tournament runs just as soon as they made their way through the conference. Xavier, after a slight bobble at Temple, is doing nothing to defy that belief. They're clearly the cream of the A-10 crop and among the very best teams in the country. But what to make of Dayton? They've lost their last three games in conference and it won't take many more before their bid goes from solid to bubble. It doesn't look like there's going to be any quick fix. The Flyers have been overly dependent on Brian Roberts from day one but will need their superlative guard to play even better thanks to two key injuries. Freshman Chris Wright had surgery last week on his fractured ankle and Charles Little broke his foot in a loss to UMass, erasing the two best forwards from the roster.
In Saturday's loss to Richmond, they got five points from the frontcourt and were carved up inside defensively. Roberts played a strong game but, with no balance and no interior presence, teams can let that happen and feel secure in their chances of winning games.
The Flyers rank near the bottom of the league in every defensive category and that's not likely to improve with such thin talent underneath. Those defensive issues predate the injuries to Wright and Little and have only been exacerbated in the last few contests. Methodical Saint Louis and the stout Will Daniels of Rhode Island loom in the next two contests, neither looks like an easy win for a team that really needs one if they are going to change their fortunes.
Last month it looked like there was a margin of error for Dayton's postseason chances. They'd been so good early that they didn't have to be perfect to make the dance. That margin is getting thinner by the second. Charlotte and St. Joe's are playing very well and it won't take but a few more losses for the Flyer position to become quite precarious. Brian Gregory's managed this team very well to date but he might not have any answers to the problems facing his club.
