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Davidson blows out No. 22 Dayton, star guard Jack Gibbs sits with knee injury

Davidson v UCF

Getty Images

Getty Images

If last night’s performance should tell you anything, it’s that we need to start taking Davidson more seriously as a threat in the Atlantic 10.

In their first season in the conference after making the job from the SoCon, the Wildcats are now sitting at 13-4 overall and 4-2 in the league after pasting No. 22 Dayton 77-60 in Belk Arena last night.

Bob McKillop’s club shot 12-for-23 from beyond the arc in the win over the Flyers, who had won eight straight games and had been keeping pace with VCU at the top of the Atlantic 10 standings. The win was all the more important considering the fact that Davidson had been absolutely drilled by Richmond their last time out, falling to the Spiders by 26 points on the road.

And here’s the scary part: Davidson did this without Jack Gibbs on the floor, their second-leading scorer and assist leader. They were also without Jake Bedford, another starter who has played in just five games this season.

Now the question becomes just how seriously is Gibbs hurt. He injured the knee late in the loss to Richmond and has an appointment with a doctor scheduled for Wednesday.

“I feel awful for Jack, just absolutely awful for him,” McKillop said after the game. “He wanted to be out here so badly today.”

On Wednesday afternoon, McKillop told CBSSports that Gibbs’ injury is a slight meniscus tear, and that he’s not expected to be out for a long time.

If he is, Davidson is a team to keep an eye on. They struggle on the defensive end of the floor -- that’s what happens when you don’t force turnovers and don’t have a shot-blocker around the rim -- but even without Gibbs, a 41.2 percent three-point shooter, this team is lethal when they into a rhythm from beyond the arc.

If they can find a way into the NCAA tournament, which, at this point, may require the automatic bid if they don’t beat VCU later this season, they’re certainly a team to watch out for.

(This story has been updated from it’s original version)