The return of Charles Little didn't do much to change the fortunes of the Dayton Flyers. They dropped their fourth game in five tries at Rhode Island this afternoon 82-70 and once again called their tournament worthiness into doubt. The Flyers simply don't play enough defense to be a safe bet in the deep Atlantic 10. Rhode Island shot 52% and turned the ball over just five times while cruising to their 19th win of the year. That they won so easily despite a poor game from Will Daniels underscores how strong the Rams are looking these days. Joe Mbang came off the bench to score 21 points, the splendidly named Parfait Bitee nailed three threes and URI dished 16 assists to fuel their offense.
Just two weeks ago Dayton was considered a sure thing for the dance while the Rams were on the bubble but their positions have changed dramatically since then. Dayton's injuries and defensive deficiencies are part of the story but not the whole problem. They had six assists today and that lack of offensive balance has exposed their reliance on Brian Roberts (1-of-9 from three today). Whether he's on or off, though, there's no shortage of ways to beat the Flyers.
Dayton still has a high RPI but it is slipping fast. Only so much can be explained away by injury, the truth is that the Flyers are a notch below Xavier and may not have the horses to match URI and St. Joe's over the long haul. It's too soon to write them off entirely, thanks to that RPI, but their margin is razor thin.
The saving grace for the Flyers is that UMass has also stumbled of late. They lost 71-59 at Saint Louis today and join Dayton with an ugly 3-4 league mark. The A-10 has deservedly gotten good notices this season but it's still hard to see the selection committee treating a .500 A-10 team the way they treat such teams from the ACC.
