Dayton might dance in Providence, R.I. The Flyers might end up in Miller’s old stomping grounds, Raleigh, N.C. They might hear the NCAA selection committee tell them Sunday, “Go west, young Flyers,” as Des Moines, Iowa, Denver, St. Louis, Oklahoma City and Spokane, Wash., are other first-round sites. They might even reverse direction and head back to Brooklyn.
None of the experts thinks Dayton (25-7) has any reason to worry Sunday when the Selection Show starts at 5:30 p.m. on CBS. Despite this loss, they’ll likely land their best seed in the Miller era after two straight seasons as a No. 11 seed.
“You can’t take much for granted, but our resume speaks for itself in terms of the entire body of work,” Miller said. “From the seed perspective, if the committee is looking at attempting to do what they ask you to do, which is non-conference scheduling and road wins and RPI wins, this year’s resume is really good. I hope we get rewarded with a good seed.”
Here are five takeaways from this game:
1. Poor shooting: Miller often says the game is much easier when you make shots. His team didn't make enough, hitting 6 of 21 3-pointers (28.6 percent). The Hawks made 10 of 27 (37 percent).
That was the biggest difference, along with free throws. St. Joseph’s made 22 of 25. Dayton made 13 of 18.
The Flyers missed eight straight 3-pointers in the first 12 minutes and then got back-to-back 3-pointers from Scoochie Smith and Xeyrius Williams. They took a 24-18 lead only to see the Hawks go on a 12-0 run in the next three minutes. St. Joseph’s didn’t trail again.
“Sometimes it’s as simple as making a couple easy ones, whether it’s a layup or an open 3,” Miller said. “Against this caliber of competition at this time of year, you have to capitalize on openings. We had open shots in the first and second half when we were in a good position. Clearly the tide changes when they make some.”
2. Season sweep: The Hawks have won five of six games in the last three seasons against Dayton. They beat the Flyers 79-70 in Philadelphia on Feb. 17. Two years ago, they beat Dayton 70-67 in the A-10 quarterfinals. That Dayton team won its next three games to reach the Elite Eight.
“Hopefully, we can win string some wins together and bounce back,” senior forward Dyshawn Pierre said.
After this loss, Miller told his team, “It takes one game,” and reminded them of the disappointment they felt two years ago when they lost to St. Joseph’s.
“We lost a heartbreaker and got in the tournament,” Miller said. “Thank God for Vee Sanford and his runner. It has steamrolled us to pretty much right now. It takes one game. When you have one game in that tournament and you win, it is like gold. You feel like a million dollars.”
3. Big shots: Dayton's Charles Cooke and others did a good job defending DeAndre Bembry, the A-10 Player of the Year. He scored nine points on 3-of-12 shooting.
St. Joseph’s other star, forward Isaiah Miles, more than made up for Bembry’s poor shooting. Miles scored 26 points on 7-of-15 shooting. He was the biggest reason the No. 4 seed Hawks (26-7) beat No. 1 Dayton to advance to the 12:30 p.m. championship game Sunday against No. 2 Virginia Commonwealth. The Rams routed No. 6 Davidson 76-54 in the second semifinal Saturday.
“As much as you talk about Bembry, Miles may have been the other player of the year candidate,” Miller said. “He was fantastic. He can make shots from the perimeter. Regardless of who you’re covering him with, he’s a problem.”
4. Late run: Dayton trailed 37-30 at halftime and then allowed the first six points of the second half. They got as close as three points twice in the last 10 minutes. Each time, St. Joseph's Papa Ndao, who scored 14 points, hit a 3-pointer on the next possession.
“Papa was big,” St. Joseph’s coach Phil Martelli said. “You could feel him over this last stretch of time. He is a senior in a lot of ways.”
5. Tough calls: Although Dayton committed only three more fouls than St. Joseph's (21-18), some of the calls clearly frustrated Miller and his players. A charge call against Kendall Pollard with Dayton trailing 60-52 with 2:15 to play had everyone in red and blue from Dayton to Brooklyn howling in frustration.
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