Dayton Flyers off to worst start since 2004-05

» ARCHDEACON: Darrell Davis setting tone for Flyers

That road victory against the Rebels, along with a couple big wins in the Maui Invitational and a key road win at Saint Louis late in the regular season, helped Dayton get into the NCAA tournament for the first time in the Archie Miller era.

Four years later, NCAA tournament hopes have to be far from the minds of the Flyers and their fans. The 2017-18 Flyers return to Mississippi with a 3-3 record. They play at Mississippi State at 8 p.m. Sunday. It’s the program’s first game in Starkville.

This Dayton team just needs a win and then a series of them in December to build momentum for the rigors of Atlantic 10 Conference play.

"I've coached a lot of games, and I never felt like the one coming up wasn't tough," said Dayton coach Anthony Grant on Wednesday after a 73-60 loss to Auburn at UD Arena. "They're all really tough. We'll prepare. We'll take care of ourselves. Then we'll begin to prep for Mississippi State as the week progresses."

» AUBURN GAME: Home win streak ends | Archdeacon on Crutcher| Photos | Five takeaways | Landers returns

The Bulldogs (6-0) have won their first six games at home by an average of 16.7 points. They rank 60th in the Ken Pomeroy ratings. They haven’t beaten anyone higher than 123rd (Jacksonville State), and three of their victories have come against teams ranked 280 and below (Alabama State, Florida A&M and Green Bay). Dayton has fallen from No. 103 at the beginning of the season to No. 118.

The Bulldogs crushed North Dakota State 83-59 on Thursday, shooting 56.8 percent from 2-point range and 43.5 percent from 3-point range.

“That was a good win for us,” Mississippi State Ben Howland told reporters after the game. “North Dakota State is going to win a lot of games. They play so patiently on offense, so I was worried about the preparation. Our defense to start the game this year has been outstanding.”

The 3-3 start is Dayton’s worst record through six games since 2004-05, when it started 3-3 in the the second season of the Brian Gregory era. That team was similar to this one in that it had one senior (Mark Jones) and young stars. Its leading scorers were a sophomore (Monty Scott) and two freshmen (Brian Roberts and Norman Plummer). The Flyers finished 18-11 that season.

This Dayton team has alternated wins and losses in the first six games and hopes to win its first true road game after losing at home for the first time.

“It’s going to be a big test,” sophomore guard Trey Landers said. “We’ve got to bounce back. We’ve got to clear our minds.”

SUNDAY’S GAME

Dayton at Mississippi State, 8 p.m., SEC Network, FM 95.7, AM 1290 WHIO