Dayton Flyers, VCU poised for another A-10 showdown

Last three matchups have been memorable

Two seasons ago, Dayton Flyers coach Archie Miller walked into the visiting locker room at Virginia Commonwealth’s Siegel Center and yelled, “Hell yeah, baby!”

On Feb. 28, 2015, Dayton recorded what was then and what still is one of the most important victories of Miller's tenure, knocking off No. 22 VCU 59-55 in Richmond with a seven-man roster. In the final five minutes of that game, the Flyers had six players available because Kendall Pollard fouled out. Two more players, Scoochie Smith and Bobby Wehrli, survived the final stretch with four fouls.

That victory helped pave the way to the NCAA Tournament for the Flyers, and they could earn a similar resume-building win at 9 p.m. Friday in their first game at the Siegel Center since 2015.

"We're going to expect their best," said Miller on Sunday after a 67-46 victory over Saint Louis. "They're one of the best teams in the league. We're going to see what we're made of."

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The game gives Dayton (15-4, 6-1) a chance to separate itself from the pack in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Flyers lead VCU (15-5, 5-2), La Salle (11-6, 5-2) and Richmond (11-8, 5-2) by a game. Dayton beat La Salle and Richmond and doesn’t play them again, meaning it owns a head-to-head tiebreaker against both if they finish the regular season tied.

Even if Dayton beats VCU, it won’t secure a tiebreaker because the teams play again March 1 at UD Arena in the second-to-last regular-season game. Miller likes playing VCU twice because it gives his team one more chance to play a team ranked high in the RPI.

Dayton ranks 28th. VCU ranks 42nd. They are the top-ranked A-10 teams. Dayton also twice plays No. 49 Rhode Island, the third-ranked A-10 team. Those games are invaluable, especially because Dayton didn’t take advantage of its best opportunities on the non-conference schedule, losing to No. 23 Saint Mary’s, No. 32 Northwestern and No. 69 Nebraska.

“I think it’s very, very important for NCAA Tournament reasons that if you’re one of the best teams in the league you want to play the best teams in the league because that’s going to give you a chance to build a resume,” Miller said. “It’s daunting for us, but it’s also something unique to have at the end of the day in March. You have to have opportunities. Quite frankly, you need those numbers. You have to play against the top 25 or 50 RPI teams to make it count. It’s tough. I’m proud of our guys because we’ve played a good group of the upper portion. We just have to stay with it.”

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Dayton was 0-2 against VCU in A-10 play until that 2015 victory. The Rams avenged the loss two weeks later by beating Dayton 71-65 in the A-10 tournament championship game. Dayton earned a measure of revenge on Senior Night last March at UD Arena, beating the Rams 68-67 in overtime to clinch a share of the regular-season title with VCU and St. Bonaventure.

Each of the last three games has gone down to the final minutes. The VCU-Dayton matchup has turned into one of the A-10’s fastest-growing rivalries.

“I think it’s two passionate fan bases and two teams that have been toward the top of the conference,” second-year VCU coach Will Wade said. “I think anytime you combine fans who care and two teams that have been at the top you’ve got the ingredients for a good game.”

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Dayton leads the conference with average attendance of 12,931. VCU, which has sold out 93 straight games, ranks second with 7,637 fans per game.

“It’s a great environment,” Miller said. “It’s probably one of the best environments in the country. Every time we’ve ever been there, it’s been electric, and I assume on Friday night it’ll be revved up pretty good.”


FRIDAY’S GAME

Dayton at VCU, 9 p.m., ESPN2, FM 95.7, AM 1290 WHIO

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