Atlantic 10 Conference Basketball

Dayton vs Charlotte Basketball Recap

Dayton 75, Charlotte 47

The Charlotte 49ers might have entered Wednesday night with the lead in the Atlantic 10 Conference, but they left the state of Ohio with a decidedly different outlook. If resumes, and not just conference standings, truly tell the tale in the chase for the NCAA Tournament, the kids from North Carolina have as much work to do as any other league contender.

It wasn't much of a surprise that Dayton thrived once again on its home court, as the Flyers registered a 28-point thumping and solidified their credentials for the Big Dance in front of a gleeful crowd at University of Dayton Arena. With star forward Chris Wright throwing down 30 points along with nine boards, and coach Brian Gregory coaxing another strong defensive effort out of a revved-up roster, Dayton overpowered its adversary 45-20 after halftime to bust open a contest that remained tight throughout the first half. Just four days after whacking Xavier - the recent league standard bearer - by 25 points in a more up-tempo game, the Flyers found the ability to flex their muscles once again, but in a slower and more deliberate slugfest. As a result, the mad dash for March Madness has tilted in Dayton's favor.

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A quick resume check shows that Dayton - with wins over Georgia Tech (on a neutral court), George Mason (road) and Old Dominion (home) out of conference, plus these twin thrashings of Xavier and now Charlotte - owns some depth and diversity in its portfolio. Coach Bobby Lutz's Charlotte squad can't boast of a similarly well-rounded profile. Aside from a big road win at Louisville - which, unfortunately, is not a dominant team this season - the 49ers lack major out-of-conference scalps. Inside the league, the guys in green can boast of a takedown of Temple and a 12-point topping of Richmond, but it's clear that after this blowout loss, Charlotte must repair its reputation - and its halfcourt offense - in order to punch a tourney ticket.

Indeed, after all is said and done on the matter of tournament resumes, the reason Charlotte finds itself in a slightly more urgent place than Dayton is the realm of offensive execution. On some nights, shots just won't drop, but when a team hits only 12 of 48 field goals (25 percent) the way the 49ers did against UD's relentless pressure, it's clear that both form and function were missing from the visitors' arsenal. Lutz will need to find some blackboard basics that can give starters Derrio Green (1 of 10 on the evening) and Chris Braswell (2 of 7) a higher caliber set of shots. When two core members of the roster combine to go 3 of 17, it's more than just a bad night at the office. It's a sign that the other team - in this case, Brian Gregory's thoroughly confident waves of defenders - established a comfortable residence in the 49ers' offensive playbook and wouldn't leave throughout the evening.

Something's going to have to change if Charlotte wants to shore up a long-sought NCAA Tournament bid. The 49ers are still outpacing the expectations that accompanied them at the start of the season, but a non-competitive showing on the road will send the wrong message to the Selection Committee. In the next month of competition, Bobby Lutz needs to make sure his team stands on the giving end, and not the receiving end, of a major-league smackdown.

By: Matt Zemek
A10-fans.com Staff Writer