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Dayton Basketball: Flyers’ Atlantic 10 title hopes fading without Kendall Pollard

By John Parker

Jan 6, 2016; Dayton, OH, USA; Dayton Flyers forward Kendall Pollard (middle) sits on the bench with a boot on his leg against the Massachusetts Minutemen in the second half at the University of Dayton Arena. The Flyers won 93-63. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 6, 2016; Dayton, OH, USA; Dayton Flyers forward Kendall Pollard (middle) sits on the bench with a boot on his leg against the Massachusetts Minutemen in the second half at the University of Dayton Arena. The Flyers won 93-63. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dayton basketball fell from the top spot in the Atlantic 10 after three games without junior forward Kendall Pollard.

Three games ago, Dayton was coasting through Atlantic 10 play. The Flyers were alone in first place at 10-1 in the conference thanks in part to Dyshawn Pierre‘s return from suspension. The team looked poised to contend for a 2 or 3-seed in the NCAA Tournament with all of its key players back in the lineup.

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Then forward Kendall Pollard was ruled out for the team’s trip to Rhode Island with a deep knee bruise. Without Pollard, the Flyers are missing out on 11.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Suddenly Dayton’s dominant run feels like it ended more than just over a week ago.

In the last three games without Pollard the Flyers are 1-2. The lone victory came on a 3-point dagger by Darrel Davis with 26 seconds left in the 68-66 win at Rhode Island. Since that win, the Flyers lost to A-10 title contenders St. Joseph’s and St. Bonaventure.

Wednesday’s loss to St. Joe’s created a three-way tie for first place in the A-10. Saturday’s loss to the Bonnies, combined with a St. Joseph’s loss to Davidson, gave VCU sole possession of first place in the conference.

This is the second stretch of games that Pollard has missed this season, and despite the major implications on the race for the Atlantic 10 title it’s clearly been the less damaging of his two absences. Pollard was sidelined in the biggest upset of the A-10 season, when La Salle stunned the then-No. 25 Flyers. By comparison, a pair of losses to potential tournament teams is more than acceptable.

While it was initially believed that Pollard would be at full strength for Wednesday’s game at St. Joseph’s, the update that Dayton Head Coach Archie Miller delivered after Saturday’s game was less promising. According to Matthew Schwade of FlyerHoops.net, Dayton’s Rivals affiliate, the timetable for Pollard’s return is unknown:

Dayton’s last four regular season games will have it zig-zagging across the country. The Flyers will travel to St. Louis, come home to take on Rhode Island, head back on the road against Richmond and return to UD Arena to host VCU.

The 1-3 conference record that the team has in Pollard’s absence puts the team’s status as a title contender in doubt. With that said, if Dayton survives its next three games his presence would be very helpful against VCU. With a 4-0 finish, the Flyers would claim at least a share of the Atlantic 10 regular season title.

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Fortunately for Dayton, the work that it put in early in the season means that it will likely be in a good position no matter how it finishes its last four regular season games and the A-10 tournament. ESPN’s Eamon Brennan declared the Flyers an NCAA Tournament lock the day before the St. Joe’s loss.

According to Brennan’s definition of a lock, that means the Flyers could lose out and still wind up safely in the NCAA Tournament field. Given that Dayton has an RPI of 18 even after the St. Bonaventure loss, that seems like a safe bet.

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With that said, the excellent start to the season and the position that the Flyers were in just over a week ago has raised expectations for this season. Dropping from a potential Top 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament to having to face a Top 3 seed before the end of the opening weekend of the tournament would be a major disappointment for the Flyers.