Originally Posted by Chris R
We got killed on the boards. But take Tillman and Mo Alie-Cox off VCU and they'd be where Dayton currently is -- undermanned and without two of their best post players they figured they would have this year (Steve, Josh).
What we've been doing is what we've been doing for five seasons with non-stop continual debilitating losses, defections, injuries, and deaths: doing more with less and a lot of smoke and mirrors.
Sometimes with such depleted bodies, there are going to be nights when you wish you had the missing faces. But it is what it is. This game really shouldnt have been close. Look at Rhode Island. Same type of injuries and they don't overcome.
Any other program and this team is NIT City right now. That we're still in the discussion is nothing short of amazing considering we've played perhaps 5 games all year with a full roster -- and by full I still mean everyone but Steve and Josh (and Kostas).
You take your lumps sometimes. VCU held serve and was supposed to win. What we learned is even with the lack of big bodies and no rebounding, VCU was only up 3 late. They should have been up 15-20.
Take the two best big men off every other A10 team to even things up and Dayton is the best team in the league by 10 points a night.
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I agree with a lot of what you said. And I guess what hurts the most is that what you're really saying is losing Steve and Josh brought us from maybe final 4 dreams to back to the pack in the Atlantic 10. Basically Archie had built a great, great team in the 6 seasons he's been here and it's not really a up with the elites because of injuries and tragedy.
I really hope we are able to keep him until the odds of fortune balance out for us and we have that team that can through a season without any major setbacks. And if that day arrives, one of two things are going to have to happen for this program to sustain it far into the future and that is the A10 gets much better as whole or we get into a more prestigious conference. Because that's what I believe is going to have to happen for AM's legacy to this program to continue after he leaves.
