“We’re undersized and undergirthed (sp),” coach Fran Dunphy said after the Owls’ win against Buffalo on Wednesday. “Is that a word, ‘girthed?’ But that’s the way it is. We’re going to have to battle like crazy and figure out ways to win games.”

Dunphy has played a guard-heavy lineup without both senior forward Scootie Randall and redshirt-senior center Micheal Eric due to injuries.

Eric, who sat out the Owls’ 10 remaining games last season, reinjured his right knee during a practice on Nov. 25. The Nigerian native was fourth on the team in scoring (10.5 points per game) and led the Atlantic Ten Conference in rebounding (11.3 per game) after playing four games this year.

“[Eric] feels pretty good,” Dunphy said. “He’s been jogging around a little bit, doing some light running, not scrimmaging anyone else. In shooting drills and those kinds of things he looks good. It’s just a matter of hopefully another couple of weeks, but then when that couple of weeks hits, then how ready is he going to be right away. So it’s going to take some time. It will be on Mike’s schedule and we’ll just play along with it.”

Randall has yet to play this season as he continues to recover from off-season surgery on his knee. The six-foot-six-inch forward was named the Atlantic Ten Conference and Big 5 Most Improved Player and received A-10 Honorable Mention honors last season after averaging 10.7 point and 4.7 rebounds per game.

“[Randall] just doesn’t feel comfortable enough to go and it’s going to be his decision alone,” Dunphy said. “As long as he’s not comfortable then he’s not going to play. Although he’s doing a good job in practice. It’s just his level of comfort, it’s not where it needs to be.”

“If he doesn’t play all year long, then he gets the extra year,” Dunphy said. “If he says at somepoint, ‘I’m ready to go and I want to play,’ then that’s what it will be. But it will be his decision.”